Advocates for reproductive rights in Texas are preparing for the upcoming legislative session following a recent meeting of the Senate Committee on State Affairs.

During the interim charges hearing, lawmakers heard testimony on election security and the implementation of House Bill 7, passed in 2025, which prohibits the manufacture, mailing and distribution of abortion-inducing drugs.

Raven Freeborn, executive director of the advocacy group Avow Texas, believes the two topics go hand-in-hand.

"This isn't just about abortion. If lawmakers can punish people for intent in one area, they can and will extend that logic anywhere else, to protest, to speech, to healthcare and to voting," Freeborn contended.

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According to the Guttmacher report, more than 42,000 Texas residents had clinician-provided abortions in 2025. Republican lawmakers want to further restrict the use of abortion-inducing medications.

Since House Bill 7 went into effect, Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued medical providers in multiple states for mailing the abortion pill mifepristone to patients in Texas. The providers are protected by shield laws in their states. In 2021, legislators blocked Medicaid recipients from using the coverage to pay for services at Planned Parenthood.

Shellie Hayes-McMahon, executive director of the group Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, said lawmakers should be discussing how to reinstate coverage instead of proposing additional restrictions.

"Why aren't they talking about healthcare access? Why aren't they talking about women who can't afford preventative healthcare? Why aren't they talking about rural hospitals closing? Why aren't they talking about maternal mortality? And why aren't they talking about the millions of Texans who remain uninsured?" Hayes-McMahon outlined.

Before House Bill 7, Texas already had one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. The 90th session of the Texas Legislature starts January 12, 2027.