Statement on SB 4, the Ban on Mail-Order Chemical Abortions, Going into Effect
On December 2, the Texas ban on mail-order chemical abortions went into effect after the Legislature passed and pro-life Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law last summer.
Texas Alliance for Life was an integral part of a coalition of organizations who worked with the authors of SB 4, Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville) and Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth), to successfully get it passed and to the Governor’s desk.
SB 4 seeks to prevent the use of abortion pills (commonly called RU 486 or mifepristone) without physician supervision or in a manner that puts the life or health of women in increased danger. SB 4 creates a felony offense for illegally transporting the abortion-causing drugs by mail or other means. That allows out-of-state offenders to be extradited to Texas to stand trial.
The law also protects women from the risks of unsupervised use of abortion pills, including:
- Hemorrhage or death from an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy,
- Risk to future pregnancy by undiagnosed Rh factor,
- Hemorrhaging and infection from use of abortion pills later in pregnancy, and
- Use of abortion pills for forced abortions by sex traffickers.
Pro-life organizations have a mission to protect women from the risks from chemical abortions to their lives, their health, and their future futility. We are extremely grateful to the Legislature and Governor Abbott for supporting SB 4.