The "Life of the Mother Act" (SB 31) is lawmakers' bipartisan response to the confusion regarding women who need treatment for pregnancy complications. Physicians and hospitals in the state have banded together to push for passage of the legislation that leaves the current prohibition against abortion intact while restoring the ability of physicians to act quickly without fear of prosecution.
Kimberlyn Schwartz of Texas Right to Life says the policy ensures that the Texas Medical Board offers free training to doctors on how to treat pregnant women in medical emergencies and follow pro-life laws.
CatholicVote notes the bill also states that doctors may speak openly with patients and legal counsel about abortion exceptions without being accused of "aiding or abetting" an abortion.
"You've probably seen stories in the media of pregnant women who had complications, went to the emergency room, and the doctors hesitated or said, 'We can't do anything because of state laws,'" Schwartz poses. "Those cases are actually instances of medical malpractice. Doctors should have followed pro-life laws, which say that they can intervene immediately whenever they detect life-threatening complications. They don't have to wait."
The Texas Heartbeat Act (SB 8) prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law makes exceptions for medical emergencies, but Democrats have misrepresented it since it was in enacted in 2021, sometimes resulting in tragic outcomes where doctors hesitated to treat pregnant women in emergencies due to false beliefs about legal consequences.
"Pro-lifers care both about the mother and the child, and the answer to those situations is not to expand abortion and jeopardize more preborn children, but to make sure that doctors know what the law actually says and that they're not just listening to media headlines," Schwartz asserts.
The measure now heads to the Texas House. If signed into law, the Life of the Mother Act will go into effect Sept. 1.
