Texas doctors and advocates are trying to make sure patients and physicians understand the state's medical exception to its abortion ban. Their outreach follows the 2025 Life of the Mother Act, which sought to clarify when doctors may provide an abortion during a medical emergency.
Texas permits an abortion when a pregnant person's life or a major bodily function is at risk. The act clarified that doctors need not wait until death or impairment is imminent, and that they may discuss abortion with patients and colleagues while weighing treatment. Doctors who violate the ban still face potential penalties; the state must show that no reasonable doctor would have performed the abortion in the same circumstances.
Dallas OB-GYN Dr. Deborah Fuller says the law has eased some physicians' concerns, but many patients remain unaware of it. She advises Asking for a Mom, a campaign that distributes information through a website and clinic fliers, including guidance for patients who encounter barriers to care.
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