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Texas Campaign for Mothers FAQs

Background

Founded by a group of Texas mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters, Texas Campaign for Mothers brings together women who love our state and feel strongly that we need to provide relief for Texas’ mothers, women who want to become mothers, and the physicians who care for them. We wholeheartedly welcome and need the participation of all in this effort, including husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers as well as people of all backgrounds, religious beliefs, and political persuasions. This is about living up to the Texas family values that our state has always preserved.

  • Texas women created Texas Campaign for Mothers in 2024 in response to the 2021 Texas legislation which, while very successful in protecting the lives of the unborn, unintentionally introduced legal complexities for physicians and undue risks for pregnant women needing urgent, life-saving medical interventions. 
  • Currently, Texas law regarding reproductive healthcare includes limited exceptions for addressing maternal health risks. However, the law’s exceptions lack the clarity required to provide physicians adequate guidance for treatment and protection in their medical practice. Additionally, the law’s exceptions do not assure adequate treatment for women experiencing pregnancy complications or loss. Texas Campaign for Mothers seeks to promote clearer legislation centering on maternal health that aligns with Texas’s longstanding family values, aiming to ensure the well-being of pregnant women, the dignity of human life, and the security of medical professionals. 

Texas Campaign for Mothers supports critical policy changes and will work to advance them in the 2025 legislative session. The Campaign’s four policy pillars are: 

  1. Ensure the “Life of the Mother” exemption effectively serves Texas mothers with pregnancy complications, thus safeguarding their health and fertility without subjecting them to undue risk. 
  2. Enable women and their families to make informed decisions with medical professionals in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities, rape and incest. 
  3. Remove the threat of severe penalties for medical professionals treating women with pregnancy complications so they can practice evidence-based medicine without the fear of punitive measures like jail time or loss of medical licenses while also maintaining appropriate penalties to deter any misconduct.
  4. Protect the continued safety and legality of in vitro fertilization (IVF) so that women who wish to build families in Texas can do so without fear of medical or legal consequences. 

Texas Campaign for Mothers believes that, given the current leadership and politics in Texas, our four policy pillars will attract a broad, nonpartisan base, unite a wide variety of beliefs, and set realistic goals for the 2025 legislative session. This focused approach aims to make meaningful, achievable legislative progress for Texas families and the medical professionals who treat them.

Texas Campaign for Mothers is fully dedicated to these four policy pillars, and the pillars will remain unchanged throughout our existence. The steadfast pursuit of our four policy pillars assures our supporters that they can feel confident in their involvement in our nonpartisan group. In the future, any group seeking to pursue different goals under the Texas Campaign for Mothers name would not be allowed to do so.

Texas Campaign for Mothers engages in advocacy, public education, and policy development to push for precise, effective legislative changes, ensuring pregnant women in Texas receive critical medical treatment and their physicians can provide evidence-based care. Our goal is to get legislation passed in the 2025 legislative session to achieve our four policy pillars.

No. Texas Campaign for Mothers is a nonpartisan organization and will remain so for the tenure of its existence.

No, Texas Campaign for Mothers will not officially affiliate with any pro-life or pro-choice groups. We welcome all groups to support our four policy pillars and our proposed legislation to improve reproductive healthcare for mothers and women who want to be mothers so Texas returns to its roots as a safe place to build a family.

Texas Campaign for Mothers is funded by a group of private donors dedicated to supporting initiatives that protect the health and well-being of Texas women and mothers as well as the ability for medical practitioners in Texas to best treat their patients.

Issue Landscape

  • Currently, there are two abortion bans in practice in Texas put in place in 2021 and 2022. 
    1. Human Life Protection Act: This is Texas’ most restrictive abortion law, prohibiting all terminations from the point of conception, except when the mother’s life is in danger. This “trigger ban” took effect in August 2022, when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Medical professionals found in violation face criminal, professional, and civil penalties including a minimum $100k fine, medical license revocation, and up to life in prison. 
    2. Texas Heartbeat Act: Effective Sept. 2021 and widely referred to as SB 8, the Heartbeat Act prohibits abortions once fetal heartbeat is detected. Violations of SB 8 are not punishable as crimes, but rather enforced by a civil bounty-hunter enforcement scheme which allows private citizens (whether or not they have a connection to the patient) to bring lawsuits against medical providers and anyone who “aids and abets” an illegal abortion. Successful “bounty hunters” are eligible for a $10k reward, court costs, and attorney’s fees.  

Together, the trigger ban and SB 8 create an abortion ban from conception. The only exception is when the mother’s life is in danger; however, the law’s ambiguity makes it challenging for physicians to determine how dangerous the situation must be to ensure they will not be penalized for terminating a pregnancy. Neither law provides exceptions fatal fetal abnormalities, rape, or incest.

  • In May 2023, in response to complaints from medical professionals, patients, and community leaders about the law’s lack of clarity, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3058 which provides medical professionals an affirmative defense if they perform a medical abortion in the case of two specific pregnancy complications: (1) ectopic pregnancy and (2) preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). However, the law does not cover additional medical emergencies that might require a pregnancy to be terminated as outlined by evidence-based medicine. 
  • Across all Texas abortion laws, a pregnant woman is explicitly exempt from liability and prosecution. 
  • Both the Human Life Protection Act and the Texas Heartbeat Act include exceptions for “medical emergencies” where physicians, in the exercise of their reasonable medical judgment, determine that a pregnant woman is suffering from a “life-threatening physical condition” that unless the abortion occurs, is at risk of death or “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.” 
  • These laws do not clearly outline what qualifies as a “medical emergency,” “life-threatening,” or “substantial impairment,” nor do they define “major bodily function,” which makes it very hard for medical professionals to properly provide care to pregnant women with serious medical complications. This ambiguity endangers the lives of Texas mothers because physicians, amidst this uncertainty and the threat of life in prison, may delay or deny care because they are unsure if the patient indisputably qualifies. Furthermore, many hospitals, fearing legal liability amidst the law’s ambiguity, have increased restrictions on when they allow a doctor to terminate a pregnancy, putting women at risk of undue medical complications.
  • Current laws have interfered with critical health care for pregnant women, including life-saving treatment for pregnant mothers diagnosed with cancer or other health issues, the choice to terminate a non-viable twin to save the life of a healthy twin, and a physicians’ ability to provide full information to pregnant mothers about their health care and to treat them with longstanding, safe, and medically recognized standards of care.  The fear of prosecution for “aiding and abetting” has had a detrimental impact not only on physicians’ ability to provide full information to their patients about their health care, but it has also created fear in medical staff in supporting physicians in medically necessary terminations, often leading to dangerous delays in care.   
  • We’ve seen disturbing reports of the tragic deaths of Josseli Barnica, Nevaeh Crain, and Porsha Ngumezi, three Texas women who died from delayed emergency pregnancy care. News of these deaths sparked outrage across Texas with calls to amend state reproductive health laws to prevent any further loss of life. 
  • On the Brink, ABC’s documentary on Hulu which includes the heartbreaking stories of six Texas women with pregnancy health complications, provides a comprehensive portrayal of the impact of these laws on women who want to have babies and build their families. Similarly, the documentary film Zurawski v Texas, powerfully spotlights three plaintiffs of the groundbreaking lawsuit brought on behalf of Texas women denied critical medical care while facing serious pregnancy complications. 
  • Most of us Texans watched the Texas Supreme Court deny Kate Cox the right to terminate her non-viable pregnancy, forcing her to leave the state to receive treatment. This, and other alarming stories, are described on our website’s “Stories” page.

No. In fact, Texans overwhelmingly support exceptions when there is serious endangerment to a woman’s health (85%), in cases of rape and incest (80%), and when there is a strong chance of serious birth defects (73%). Even 75% of Texas Republican primary voters favor modifying state abortion laws in alignment with Texas Campaign for Mothers’ proposal  to (1) add exceptions for rape, incest, and fatal fetal abnormalities and (2) eliminate severe penalties for medical providers who treat women with pregnancy complications. It is paramount that Texans know their rights and that legislators hear the voices of their constituents and act upon them. Texas Campaign for Mothers hopes to facilitate both for the greater good of women’s health and for Texas’ medical landscape. As a growing state in terms of business and population, it’s vital that Texas medical practitioners be able to provide the highest level of care to their patients so that the state can continue to attract new industries.

  • Confusing and redundant Texas laws force doctors into impossible situations where they must choose between complying with the law – which could result in a malpractice suit – or providing the best care for their patients – and risk life in prison. Under current laws, medical professionals face serious legal risks, including minimum $100,000 civil penalties, civil suits by strangers with no connection to the patient (the “Texas bounty hunter law”), loss of medical license, and criminal penalties, up to 99 years in prison. Even with a weak claim, physicians could be required to spend thousands of dollars and countless hours defending themselves, none of which is covered by medical malpractice insurance. The legal environment in place creates ethical dilemmas for doctors, compromises the quality of medical education, and delays care in cases of immediate risk.
  • Understandably, these risks are significantly deterring skilled healthcare providers from practicing in Texas because the laws as currently written limit their ability to offer safe, comprehensive care that prioritizes patient needs. A recent study surveying ~450 Texas OB-GYNs on the impact of state reproductive health laws found that:
    • 76% believe they cannot practice according to evidence-based medicine.
    • 60% fear legal repercussions from practicing evidence-based medicine.
    • 21% have thought about or are planning to leave Texas to practice in another state.
    • 13% are planning to retire early. 
    • 10% have already left Texas or are leaving their obstetrics practice or medicine altogether.
  • The unintended consequences of these laws pose a great threat to our state’s economic, intellectual, and health outcomes. Since these laws went into effect: 

Involvement

  • Texas Campaign for Mothers encourages participation from everyone who supports protecting mothers’ health, regardless of political affiliation or personal beliefs, including mothers, fathers, healthcare professionals, business and community leaders, and anyone concerned about health issues in Texas. 
  • Through grassroots efforts, we built a statewide network of Members supportive of  our four policy pillars. We hope to continue expanding this Member base to indicate to lawmakers the widespread support for amending current reproductive health laws during the 2025 legislative session.
  • Members allow us to use their names to recruit other Members and to show legislators the breadth of support for our policy changes. 
  • We are asking supporters of our proposed policy changes to talk with their friends about the women’s healthcare crisis plaguing our state. Most people are unaware of how Texas laws: 
    • Will cause a lack of access to healthcare for all women in Texas
    • Are currently putting women with pregnancy complications at risk of death and/or long-term fertility challenges
    • Do not include exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities, rape, and incest, and
    • Include confusing language and severe penalties for physicians, which cause them to delay care to Texas mothers to ensure they are in compliance.

Educating your friends is the first step in getting them engaged to help. The video on our website is a great explainer of the law and its detrimental impacts. 

  • In order to have the most impact, we are asking supporters of our mission to join as Members of Texas Campaign for Mothers. Members: 
    • Allow us to use their name to recruit other Members and to show legislators the breadth of support for our policy changes. 
    • Connect us to other well-respected Texas leaders who would also be willing to publicly support this effort as a Texas Campaign for Mothers Member.

As a Member, we will add you to our email list and provide you with more opportunities to get involved as we grow, including recruiting others to join, hosting recruitment events, and asking your legislators to support the four policy pillars to effect change that goes beyond party lines. 

  • If you do not wish to join in the full capacity as a Member, you can simply sign up to receive our newsletters to stay updated on our efforts, statewide women’s reproductive health news, and opportunities to advocate for legislative change. 

If you agree to be a Member, we will use your name as a Member in collateral to recruit others to join Texas Campaign for Mothers and to show legislators the level of support for our four policy pillars. 

Yes. We have already engaged leaders from across the state and on both sides of the aisle to join the campaign. We have also had promising conversations with legislators to discuss statute language changes that would help strengthen current reproductive health laws in order to better protect women with pregnancy complications and their doctors, while still ensuring the lives of the unborn are safeguarded.

We send out monthly newsletters with updates of our work and ways to engage. For individual inquiries, please reach out to info@txmotherscampaign.com. 

We need all Texans to understand that our current poorly drafted laws are placing women suffering miscarriages and other pregnancy complications in profound danger. By clarifying these laws, we can ensure the protection of mothers and of medical professionals. Additionally, we wish to emphasize that this campaign is for everyone. We invite productive dialogue and are eager to work together to protect the lives and health of Texas women and to ensure that medical professionals can provide the highest quality of care for their patients. This issue is too important to be limited to one political persuasion or system of belief. To safeguard mothers and medical practitioners, we must all work together. 

Yes, you can click here for sample email text to share with your network encouraging them to join our movement. You can also head to the “Take Action” page on our website to reach out directly to your representatives underscoring your support for the clarification of current reproductive health laws. To engage, you can either send a personalized message to your representative or call their office – we have email and call scripts to help guide your outreach.

Yes. We always welcome continued financial support for those who wish to donate to this important effort. Please visit our website’s “Donate” page to contribute a charitable gift. As Texas Campaign for Mothers is a 501(c)(4) organization, please note that donations are not tax-deductible.