Cities like Austin and San Antonio dedicated taxpayer money to send pregnant women to other states for abortions. However, starting in September, a new Pro-Life law in Texas will ban them from using public funds to pay for abortion travel.
State lawmakers recently passed the Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act (Senate Bill 33) by Senator Donna Campbell, M.D. (R–New Braunfels) and sponsored by Representative Candy Noble (R–Lucas).
The new policy will block cities from hiding pro-abortion programs behind vague terms like “logistical support.”
This fight began in 2019 when Texas officials banned cities from funding abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. However, the City of Austin quickly found a way around that. They started giving tax dollars to abortion travel organizations instead of funding the abortion clinics directly. City council members claimed they weren’t breaking the law because they weren’t paying for the actual abortion procedure. But covering the travel costs still harms preborn babies, mothers, and taxpayers.
Local governments set aside money to pay for flights, hotel rooms, food, and other expenses to help Texas women—including young girls—kill their children out-of-state, in places like New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
The problem of tax-funded abortion travel grew worse over the last few years. The reversal of Roe v. Wade saved thousands of babies, and liberals were furious. More cities started funding abortion costs to strike back. However, not only is abortion illegal in Texas, but so is the act of paying for an abortion. Any cities funding abortion expenses were now committing crimes.
(That’s why Texas Right to Life and other Pro-Life groups sued San Antonio. The Texas attorney general also sued Austin and San Antonio to hold them accountable.)
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An estimated 15,000 Texas babies were aborted in other states in 2023 alone, often with assistance from Texas-based “abortion funds.” Two city councils supported this death toll:
- San Antonio earmarked $100,000 for abortion travel but has not sent money to anti-Life groups yet.
- Austin approved $400,000 for its “Reproductive Health–Logistics Support Fund” in 2024. Of that, they already handed $100,000 to Jane’s Due Process (which sends teens out-of-state for abortions, with or without their parents’ knowledge) and Fund Texas Choice. The city has yet to distribute the remaining $300,000.
The Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act takes away any excuses Austin and San Antonio had for helping kill preborn babies. And they know this. Since the law will not take effect until September 1, cities may try to pay for abortion costs before the policy kicks in.
San Antonio’s city attorney, Andy Segovia, said, “We will design and write the contracts in such a way that whatever law passes… we will be able to pivot to be in compliance.” Pro-Life advocates must keep an eye out until then.
Texans should never be forced to pay for abortion costs. The Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act makes sure that doesn’t happen.
Lawmakers still must address the biggest threat to women and preborn babies in Texas: mail-order abortion pills. Officials failed to pass the Woman and Child Protection Act this year, which would have saved mothers and children from chemical abortions. The only way Texas legislators could stop this problem is if Governor Abbott calls a special session for the Woman and Child Protection Act (SB 2880).
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