Life News reports that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed House Bill 7 (HB 7) into law on Thursday. The law aims to protect women and their unborn children from abortion drug traffickers who illegally mail the drugs into the state. Texas Right for Life and Life News pushed for the legislation.
Steven Ertelt, editor of Life News , says 19,000 abortion pills are trafficked into Texas every single year, undermining pro-life laws that were passed to protect babies from abortion. “It [the law] basically allows Texans to file a suit against all of those companies that are selling abortion pills to Texas from out of state. There could be fines up to $100,000 in violation, and anyone can file a suit,” explains Ertelt.
He informs that anyone in the state can sue for damages, like a woman who has been injured by the abortion pill or a father whose baby was aborted. “The goal here is that, if enough lawsuits are filed, these illegal abortion companies, that are selling pills from out of state and even out of the country in some instances, might be able to be shut down," says Ertelt.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said in a released statement that the state of Texas is "setting an example" by protecting vulnerable women and their unborn children from predatory abortion drug distributors.
Chelsey Youman is senior counsel for ADF. "Sadly, Texas leads the nation in victims of abortion-drug trafficking. HB 7 sends a clear message—stop preying on our mothers and ending the lives of their children,” states Youman.
She goes on to say that ADF is grateful for the support of Chairmen Jeff Leach and Byran Hughs, who lead the bill with compassion and courage. She also notes how Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows prioritized women and children during the special sessions. “Texas will be a safer place because of their leadership," concludes Youman.
