Published

June 04, 2025

AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has released its Induced Termination of Pregnancy (ITOP) data for January 2025, reporting 14 medically necessary abortions performed under Texas law’s life-of-the-mother exception for that month. This brings the total reported number to 171 medically necessary abortions in Texas during the 31 months following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

Each abortion represents a rare and tragic case where a pregnancy posed a threat to the mother’s life or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. Notably, no doctor has been prosecuted, sued, or sanctioned for any of those abortions. No woman has lost her life for lack of an exception in the law.

At the same time, reported elective abortions have remained at zero each month since the Human Life Protection Act took effect in August 2022.

The Texas Legislature recently passed SB 31, the Life of the Mother Act, by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) and Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Ft. Worth), to create Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys working in hospital settings on how the life-of-the-mother exception functions under Texas law. SB 31 also harmonizes the exception language across all pro-life statutes to align with the Human Life Protection Act. Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign SB 31 into law.

Under the Human Life Protection Act, an unborn child is protected from elective abortion from the moment of conception. However, the law explicitly permits physicians to perform an abortion when, using reasonable medical judgment, they determine that a pregnancy endangers the mother’s life or could cause a serious risk of impairment of a major bodily function.

“These newly reported numbers offer continued reassurance that the law is working — protecting unborn children from elective abortion while making room for doctors to provide medically necessary abortions for women facing threats to their life or health during a pregnancy,” said Amy O’Donnell, Communications Director for Texas Alliance for Life. “SB 31 ensures that physicians treating pregnant women and attorneys advising them understand what the law allows, so that no woman is denied care due to fear or confusion.”

“SB 31 is about building confidence for the professionals responsible for making critical decisions in medical cases involving threats to pregnant women’s life and health,” O’Donnell added. “With proper education, we can ensure that every Texas woman receives timely care.”

Amy O’Donnell, Communications Director
512.477.1244 (o)
amy@texasallianceforlife.org