Black Health
Priority: Critical — Community engagement required
TX Reproductive Rights Passed one chamber

SB 14

Texas Prenatal Protection Act

Also known as: "Texas SB 14 (2025)"

Sponsored by Sen. Angela Paxton (R) · 17 cosponsors

Legislative timeline

Introduced

Passed one chamber

Passed Texas Senate 20-11; referred to House Committee on State Affairs

Last reviewed by our editors: Apr 22, 2026

What this bill does

Texas SB 14 would further restrict abortion access beyond current Texas law, which already imposes a near-total ban following Dobbs. The bill adds criminal penalties for assisting with interstate travel for abortion services and restricts telehealth prescription of mifepristone within Texas.

Penalties for healthcare providers who violate the law are increased, and the existing private civil action mechanism allowing citizens to sue anyone who 'aids or abets' an abortion for $10,000 per violation is expanded in scope.

Who benefits

Proponents argue the bill strengthens the existing abortion prohibition and closes perceived loopholes. Anti-abortion advocacy organizations including Texas Alliance for Life support the bill.

Who loses / who opposes

People who are pregnant or may become pregnant in Texas, particularly those in low-income households who cannot afford to travel out of state. Physicians, nurses, and telehealth providers who fear criminal liability for standard-of-care counseling. Rideshare drivers and family members of pregnant people. Advocacy organizations providing reproductive healthcare logistical support.

Impact on Black communities

Texas already has the highest Black maternal mortality rate of any large state — 58.9 per 100,000 live births for Black women, versus 14.1 for white women (CDC NVSS 2022). The near-total abortion ban has caused documented harm to patients with pregnancy complications, with delays in emergency care for sepsis, hemorrhage, and ectopic pregnancy disproportionately resulting in serious outcomes for Black patients who already face higher rates of implicit bias-related undertreatment in emergency settings.

What you can do

The bill has passed the Texas Senate. Contact Texas House State Affairs Committee members to urge it not receive a hearing. Texas House switchboard: 512-463-4630.

Support organizations providing abortion access: Fund Texas Choice (fundtexaschoice.org), Lilith Fund (lilithfund.org).