Extreme Texas Abortion Pill Bill, Seen as National Model, Fails to Advance

[justaprogressive]

A major Texas bill that was poised to offer a blueprint for abortion restrictions has likely died in the state legislature.

Senate Bill 2880, a top priority for the state’s abortion opponents, would have targeted people who manufacture, distribute, mail or otherwise provide abortion medication in Texas. It would have enabled private citizens to sue people who distributed or provided abortion pills in Texas for a minimum of $100,000. Backers said the bill was meant to hit organizations such as Aid Access, an abortion telehealth provider that helps people in states with abortion bans who want to terminate their pregnancies.

But despite clearing key legislative hurdles—the bill passed the state’s Republican-led Senate in April and received approval from a House committee Friday evening—SB 2880 was not scheduled for a floor vote in Texas’ House of Representatives. Tuesday is the deadline for Senate bills to receive a vote in the House; the bill’s omission means it will not make it to the governor’s desk before the legislative session ends this week.

SB 2880 seemed poised to pass. The bill’s Senate sponsor, Republican Bryan Hughes, chairs his chamber’s influential state affairs committee, which oversees legislation affecting state policy and government. The bill had also been reviewed and approved by staff for Gov. Greg Abbott.

“It’s very disappointing to see that it likely won’t pass this session,” said Ashley Leenerts, legislative director of Texas Right to Life, which helped craft the bill and lobbied heavily for its passage. “This has been Texas Right to Life’s top priority since the session began. We’re going to keep working and do our best. But it did seem like there had been support from leadership in the House, Senate and governor.”

https://msmagazine.com/2025/05/27/texas-abortion-pill-law-sb-2880/