Texas Senate has approved a bill that seeks to penalize the mailing of abortion pills into the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that private citizens now have the authority to pursue legal action against offenders. The measure now awaits final steps before becoming law.
The measure represents another step in tightening abortion restrictions in Texas following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had provided nationwide protection for abortion rights.
If signed, the law would empower private individuals, even those without direct involvement in a case, to sue alleged violators for damages starting at $100,000.
The bill has drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue that it encourages surveillance within communities and undermines women’s reproductive rights.
Abortion is already banned in nearly all circumstances in Texas. Earlier this year, a New York doctor was fined $100,000 by a Texas court for prescribing abortion pills remotely to a patient in the state. The same doctor was indicted in Louisiana on related charges a month before.
