A controversial bill aiming to further restrict access to abortion pills in Texas is moving through the state legislature with renewed support from prominent anti-abortion groups after significant changes.

According to Archive, House Bill 7, which allows civil lawsuits against out-of-state providers who mail abortion pills into Texas, has advanced out of committee and may soon be debated on the House floor following changes that appeased earlier critics.

The bill, supported by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott, permits private individuals to sue providers shipping abortion pills to Texas from other states. Each violation could result in at least $100,000 in civil penalties for every pill mailed.

Revised Bill Draws New Support from Opposition

Originally, major anti-abortion organizations expressed unease over the proposed system of large financial rewards for plaintiffs. Concerns were raised that it could portray Texas’s anti-abortion movement as profit-driven and damage its reputation.

To address these points, lawmakers revised the bill to require that most plaintiffs donate any proceeds beyond $10,000 to charity. Only pregnant women or their family members would be allowed to keep the full awarded amount.

Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican from Plano and the bill’s author, said the legislation delivers "the nation’s strongest" protections against abortion pills while safeguarding pregnant women. Leach also acknowledged the bill is likely to face legal scrutiny and could eventually be ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Inspiration Comes From the Earlier Abortion Ban Law

House Bill 7 follows the legal framework of the 2021 Senate Bill 8, which allowed citizen enforcement of a six-week abortion ban and sparked widespread national debate. SB 8 has avoided federal rejection but was ruled unconstitutional by a Texas judge, pending appeals due to procedural complications.

The strategy behind both bills aims to avoid formal state enforcement and thus elude certain court challenges. HB 7 also seeks to counteract shield laws adopted in states supportive of abortion rights, which were designed to protect their medical professionals from legal consequences elsewhere.

Critics argue HB 7 may put Texans, especially low-income women, in an even more isolated position. They say it targets one of the last available abortion options—pills ordered by mail from states that permit the procedure.

Pro-Life Groups Offer Mixed Reactions

Some advocacy groups that initially rejected the bill have changed their stance after the revisions. Texas Alliance for Life, once skeptical of the bill's constitutionality and public image consequences, now supports it after consulting its legal team.

Amy O'Donnell of Texas Alliance for Life stated that their legal advisers concluded the revised version can withstand constitutional challenges. The bill also includes new privacy protections, which were key in swaying some former opponents.

Kyleen Wright, president of Texans for Life Coalition, was particularly concerned about the bill’s earlier language allowing for public targeting of pregnant women. She now supports it, noting that the final version “took the target off women.”

Financial Incentives Prompt Continued Criticism

Despite revised provisions, some abortion rights supporters question the true motives behind the law. Blake Rocap, legislative counsel for Avow Texas, accused anti-abortion charities of lining up behind the bill once it allowed them to indirectly benefit through lawsuits.

However, John Seago of Texas Right to Life responded that the bill specifically prevents donations to charities connected financially to the plaintiff or their family. He emphasized that the intention was not personal gain, but deterrence.

Wright said her organization even suggested routing donations to the state’s child support fund, but found that legally unworkable. She reaffirmed that financial interest never influenced their advocacy.

Not All Conservatives Are on Board

Abolish Abortion Texas, a more extreme anti-abortion group, opposes the bill altogether. The group criticizes HB 7 for failing to criminalize all abortions and for preserving legal protections for pregnant individuals.

JR Haas, the group’s vice president, said the majority of women who seek abortions do so intentionally, and that the bill does not reflect their organization’s goals of criminal prosecution. Their stance underscores ongoing divisions within the anti-abortion movement in Texas.

Meanwhile, abortion rights groups, including Planned Parenthood, describe the bill as a tactic designed to isolate and punish women. Shellie Hayes-McMahon of Planned Parenthood's advocacy wing argued the law would force Texans into deeper isolation and reduce access to reproductive care.