Months after over 110 Texas OB-GYNs called for changes to the state’s abortion ban, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has acknowledged the need to amend the law to safeguard doctors and pregnant patients facing life-threatening situations.
On Sunday, Patrick suggested that the Texas Legislature should amend the state’s near-total abortion ban to eliminate confusion among doctors about when they are legally permitted to perform abortions to save a patient’s life.
“I do think we need to clarify any language so that doctors are not in fear of being penalized if they think the life of the mother is at risk,” Patrick said during an appearance on WFAA’s program “Inside Texas Politics”.
This marks the first time a high-ranking Texas official has voiced support for potentially revising the controversial law during the current legislative session. The ban, which went into effect in 2022, prohibits abortion except in cases where the pregnant individual’s life is at risk. However, critics, including medical professionals, argue the law’s language is vague, leaving doctors uncertain about the threshold of risk required to act without facing severe penalties — violating the law can result in life imprisonment and fines of at least $100,000.
In November, 111 obstetrician-gynecologists from across Texas sent a letter to state leaders urging revisions to the law, asserting that it endangers patients’ health and future fertility while threatening doctors with harsh consequences for medically necessary procedures, as first reported by The Texas Tribune.
The letter referenced investigative reporting by ProPublica on two Texas women, Josseli Barnica and Nevaeh Crain, who died after doctors delayed treating their pregnancy complications due to concerns about violating the abortion law. Medical experts consulted in the investigations deemed these deaths preventable.
“Anti-abortion groups and others are saying blame does not fall on Texas law. That is simply not true. As OB-GYNs in Texas, we know firsthand how much these laws restrict our ability to provide our patients with quality, evidence-based care,” the letter said.
Following Patrick’s comments, two senior Republican lawmakers confirmed that discussions about modifying Texas’ abortion ban are already underway in the Legislature.
State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who helped craft one of the state’s recent abortion bans, told the Austin American-Statesman on Monday that he agrees with Patrick and revealed that efforts to refine the law’s language are in progress.
“We’ve been working on language,” Hughes said, adding during a July appearance on WFAA’s program “Inside Texas Politics” that he supports making adjustments. “We may need to clarify that language just to make sure. We don’t want to give doctors or hospitals any excuse not to help those moms in those situations.”
Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano also posted there is support in the House for these changes.
“The Lt. Gov is (100%) right about this,” Leach wrote in a post on X quoting a Texas Tribune story about Patrick’s remarks. “Plans and work are already underway to try to get it done this #txlege session.”
During his interview, Patrick also emphasized that he does not support punishing women who seek abortions, reaffirming that Texas’ abortion ban exempts pregnant individuals from penalties.
“Those were a few people somewhere that said that (we should punish women), and they don’t speak for Republicans, they don’t speak for Americans,” Patrick said. “You’re not going to punish women. That’s ridiculous. Ridiculous.”
How much of a priority this will be for Patrick is unclear. Notably, he did not include abortion law reform in his 78 interim priorities outlined for Senate committees last year.
Democrats, meanwhile, continue to push for broader exceptions to the state’s strict abortion ban. Lawmakers such as Rep. Donna Howard of Austin and Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston have reintroduced proposals aimed at expanding exceptions. House Bill 257 would allow abortions in cases of rape or incest, while House Bill 395 would permit the procedure when pregnancies threaten a person’s health or fertility.