Amid ongoing uncertainty about when abortions are permissible in Texas, the state’s medical board is under growing pressure to issue guidance on what type of emergency qualifies for an exemption from the state’s abortion ban.
Two high-profile abortion supporters filed a petition in January requesting the board define what would be grounds for a legal abortion, and their efforts are backed by activists from across the political divide. “We think that timing is overdue for the Texas Medical Board to act,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, an anti-abortion group.
The medical board has so far resisted calls from advocates, state lawmakers, and the courts to bring clarity to the state’s abortion laws, but the petition requires a response by mid-March. Without specific guidance on what exactly constitutes an emergency, doctors and hospitals fear prosecution and other repercussions for performing procedures whose legality is uncertain, and pregnant patients whose lives are at risk have had to leave the state for abortions.
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