CV NEWS FEED // The Texas Senate has unanimously passed the Life of the Mother Act (Senate Bill 31), a bipartisan measure designed to clarify when doctors can legally perform emergency medical interventions during pregnancy.

As The Texan reported, the bill passed unanimously after revisions were made in committee to ease concerns on both sides of the abortion debate. Though some Democratic committee members initially expressed difficulty supporting the bill, they ultimately voted in favor of it, citing the need to “save women’s lives.”

Authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, and prioritized by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, SB 31 seeks to provide legal protection and clarity to doctors making emergency medical decisions. Its companion bill, House Bill 44 by Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, is still pending in the House’s Public Health Committee.

The legislation affirms that doctors may use “reasonable medical judgment” to intervene when a pregnant woman’s life is at risk or when continuing the pregnancy would cause serious impairment of a major bodily function. As the Texan noted, the language of “life-threatening” conditions or “serious risk of substantial impairment” was retained after concerns that looser wording might be exploited to broaden abortion access.

The bill clarifies that physicians are not required to wait until a pregnant woman is in immediate physical distress before intervening. This was a direct response to fears shared during committee hearings that the current law discouraged doctors from acting in time to save both mother and child.

The Texan highlighted the bill’s provisions requiring the Texas Medical Board and the State Bar of Texas to improve education for doctors and lawyers regarding abortion law. If passed, the legislation will mandate continuing medical education (CME) and continuing legal education (CLE) to ensure professionals are trained in distinguishing emergency care from elective abortion.

As CatholicVote previously reported, Texas Right to Life praised the measure for combating widespread misinformation. Communications Director Kim Schwartz said the bill addresses tragic outcomes where doctors hesitated to treat pregnant women in emergencies due to false beliefs about legal consequences.

Schwartz emphasized that the law, which is also known as the Maternal Safety Act, does not prohibit necessary care. It will “save lives by ensuring that doctors are equipped with accurate knowledge of the state’s Pro-Life laws,” she said.

The bill also states that doctors may speak openly with patients and legal counsel about abortion exceptions without being accused of “aiding or abetting” an abortion, as CatholicVote noted.

If signed into law, the Life of the Mother Act will go into effect Sept. 1.