By: Olivia Aldridge
Certain anti-abortion groups, including the Texas Alliance for Life, initially held back support for HB7. Amy O’Donnell, communications director for the Texas Alliance for Life, said the group was concerned the large financial reward outlined in the bill would incentivize “financial bounty hunters,” and that associated lawsuits could risk harm to women by exposing their private information.
However, the Texas Alliance for Life gave its support to the final version of HB7, which explicitly prohibits exposure of personal medical information in court filings. It also says that only people who are directly affected — including the pregnant woman and other immediate family members — could receive the full $100,000-plus reward. Other private citizens may receive $10,000 of the reward, with the rest going to a charity.
“I think that it lowers the incentive for bad actors to go after suits for personal gain,” O’Donnell said.