AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas legislature approved Senate Bill 33 on Monday morning, which will ban cities and counties from helping residents cover costs of essential services like travel, lodging, meals, and childcare when seeking abortion care out of state — even when the funds don’t go toward the procedure itself. This targets popular, voter-approved programs in cities like Austin and San Antonio, stripping communities of critical support and silencing the will of local voters.
With abortion fully banned in the state, this bill makes it harder for Texans to get the essential health care they need in other states. Cities like Austin and San Antonio have created popular, voter-supported programs to help residents overcome the financial and logistical barriers to out-of-state abortion care. This bill would shut those programs down — stripping away vital support and silencing the will of local voters.
The bill will be sent to the governor and then is expected to be signed into law.
The following quote about S.B. 33 can be attributed to Blair Wallace (she/her), policy and advocacy strategist for reproductive rights at the ACLU of Texas:
“Many Texans have no choice but to travel hundreds — sometimes thousands — of miles to access the care they need. S.B. 33 further endangers pregnant Texans by stripping vital financial support that people rely on to seek abortion care out of state, especially low-income Texans and communities of color who already face health care disparities. When the state fails us, our communities step up. We show up for each other, share resources, and make sure no one is left behind. That’s what real care looks like, and we won’t let anti-abortion extremists take it away.”
