Austin American-Statesman by Madlin Mekelburg 3/30/2021
The Texas Senate approved six anti-abortion bills on Tuesday, including a proposal that would outlaw the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically before a woman is aware she is pregnant, and another that effectively bans the procedure all together.
The second measure would become law if the Supreme Court reverses earlier decisions legalizing abortion. Abortion opponents have pledged to push an aggressive agenda to severely limit availability of the procedure, with an eye to the changing power dynamics at the U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority.
“As we debate this, we start in different places,†said Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican from McKinney and the author of the proposal to outlaw abortion. “The life of the mother is incredibly important, as is the life of the unborn child. It’s a difficult situation. It’s a difficult situation for the woman to be in, it’s a difficult situation for ... a child who is at the most vulnerable time in their existence and has no ability to protect themselves.â€
More:
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/03/30/texas-senate-anti-abortion-ban-heartbeat-outlaw-prohibit/7053955002/
