Texas Medical Panel Declines to Clarify Abortion Ban Exceptions

The Texas Medical Board declined to specify exceptions to the state's strict abortion ban, leaving physicians and women with pregnancy complications in a state of uncertainty. The board's proposed guidelines advise doctors to carefully document their decision-making but provide few specifics, prompting criticism from opponents who argue that more should be done to protect doctors from prosecution. The board's decision comes after the Texas Supreme Court ruled against a woman seeking an abortion for a fatal fetal condition, and the public now has an opportunity to comment on the proposed guidelines.