Overview

• The Senate approved House Bill 7 on a 17–8 vote, advancing the first-in-the-nation measure aimed at curbing mail-order medication abortions to the governor, who is expected to sign it.
• The bill authorizes Texas residents to sue those who manufacture, prescribe, distribute or mail abortion-inducing drugs used in Texas, with successful plaintiffs awarded at least $100,000.
• Patients are not liable, and the law shields care tied to medical emergencies and miscarriage management while exempting postal workers, delivery carriers and air carriers.
• Payouts prioritize those directly affected, allowing the pregnant woman, the man who impregnated her or close relatives to collect the full award, capping other plaintiffs at $10,000 and directing the remainder to charity, with privacy protections for patients and disqualifications for perpetrators of sexual assault and related offenses.
• Supporters frame the bill as an enforcement tool against illegal abortion-by-mail, while opponents warn it deputizes citizens and chills care; immediate legal challenges are expected alongside ongoing clashes with shield-law states and related cases involving out-of-state providers.