Senate committee advances bill targeting out‑of‑state abortion‑pill trafficking and creating private enforcement pathway

A Senate committee on Monday advanced Senate Bill 6, the “Women and Child Protection Act,” a proposal by Sen. Bryan Hughes that would create a civil enforcement mechanism aimed at companies and organizations that manufacture, distribute or mail abortion drugs into Texas. The committee voted to report the measure to the full Senate.

Supporters, including anti‑abortion groups and pregnancy‑center advocates, told the committee the bill is designed to stop what they say is widespread illegal trafficking of medication abortions into Texas. They said existing criminal statutes and local prosecutors have been unable to stop providers in other states and overseas from mailing pills into Texas. “If you are making these bills and sending them to Texas to kill little unborn babies, illegal abortions, you’re gonna be held accountable,” Sen. Hughes said while laying out the bill.

The measure would add a new prohibition on making, providing or distributing mifepristone and misoprostol for abortion purposes and would authorize citizens and the attorney general to sue under a qui tam‑style private enforcement scheme.…