U.S. Supreme Court

As Texans seek abortions in the only neighboring state to allow them, opponents of the procedure follow them across the border, hoping to create more “sanctuary cities for the unborn.”

Democrats and abortion-rights supporters in Texas are energized by voters in Republican-dominated Kansas who on Tuesday resoundingly voted to keep the right to an abortion in their state constitution.

Some clinics are relocating to “haven states” where abortion will continue to be legal. Others are investing in sexual and reproductive health efforts beyond abortion access.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment Tuesday in the Mississippi case that revoked a constitutional right to abortion. That means Texas’ “trigger law” severely limiting the procedure will soon take effect.

While people consider deleting period tracking apps and worry about interstate travel restrictions, most pregnancy-related criminalization start in a much simpler way: with a report from a health care provider.

The House passed the measure, but it will have a harder time getting through the evenly divided Senate.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales was the only Texas Republican to vote for a bill seeking to codify the right to same-sex marriage. The measure passed the House, but its fate in the Senate is uncertain.

A new survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs also found that more than three in four respondents, or 77 %, favored an abortion policy that was less severe than the state law.

Part of the platform from the recent Texas Republican Party convention opposes using race, origin, creed, sexuality, or lifestyle choices to create voting districts. So, the platform urges repealing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Mimi Marziani doubts Congress would do it or that Texans overall would favor such a move. But the president of the Texas Civil Rights Project admits efforts to chip away at the Act have worked.

No criminal charges have been filed under two current Texas laws restricting abortion, but abortion opponents are looking to build on the momentum of recent victories, including the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues the Biden administration is violating the state’s “sovereign interest” by reassuring the nation’s doctors they can perform abortions in medical emergencies.

Doctors and legal experts say Texas’ anti-abortion laws haven’t yet affected fertility treatments, and it appears an unlikely target for anti-abortion groups in the state.