Rep. Schaefer bill closing loophole on some late-term abortions passes committee

AUSTIN, Texas (KLTV) - A House committee has passed an East Texas legislator’s bill which would stop late-term abortions when the fetus has a severe medical issue.

HB 3218, which was authored by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) passed by a 6-4 margin on Thursday.

The bill closes a loophole from a previous Texas law which prohibited third-trimester abortions. HB 3218 removes the exception “the fetus has a severe and irreversible abnormality, identified by reliable diagnostic procedures.”

The legislation also mandates that the mother is provided with perinatal palliative care to “reduce the suffering of a pregnant woman, her preborn child, and her family, from diagnosis of the preborn child’s life-threatening disability through the delivery and possible death of the child as a result of the life-threatening disability.”

The bill will now be sent to the Committee on Calendars for possible placement for presentation on the House floor.

Schaefer laid the bill out to the House Committee on Public Health on April 7.

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