"House Bill 7 represents abortion opponents' most ambitious effort to halt telehealth abortions, which have helped patients get around strict bans in Texas and other states after Roe v. Wade was overturned. The law, which goes into effect December 4, creates civil penalties for health care providers who make abortion medications available in Texas, allowing any private citizen to sue medical providers for a minimum penalty of $100,000. The bill's backers have said it would also allow suits against drug manufacturers."
"Though other states have passed legislation targeting abortion medications - classifying them as a controlled substance, for instance - the Texas law is novel in its approach to targeting the people who distribute them and its reliance on civil suits. Medical providers say the law won't stop them from providing abortions to people in Texas. Three major telehealth practices confirmed that they intend to keep prescribing and mailing abortion medications to patients in Texas, citing other states' laws that would shield them from Texas-based suits."
House Bill 7, effective December 4, creates civil penalties for health care providers who make abortion medications available in Texas and permits private citizens to sue for a minimum $100,000. The law could extend to drug manufacturers while excluding suits against people who obtain abortions. The statute is novel in targeting distributors and relying on civil litigation, differing from other states that used criminal classifications. Major telehealth providers intend to continue prescribing and mailing abortion medications to Texas patients, citing legal protections in their own states. Pharmaceutical companies' responses remain unclear.
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