Healthcare (Women's Health)

HB 271 amends the composition of Texas' Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, increasing its membership from 23 to 25 members. The bill adds two new physician specialties (critical care and emergency care), two doulas with specific urban/rural representation requirements (one must specialize in end-of-life care), and a representative from a managed care organization. It also specifies that community members must include one urban and one rural representative, and requires at least one maternal fetal medicine specialist among obstetric physicians. The committee, which analyzes pregnancy-related deaths to improve maternal health outcomes, will now include these additional expertise areas to enhance its review capacity.

Texas Senate Bill 43 creates a new exception to the state's abortion ban for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault (as defined under specific Penal Code sections), without requiring the patient to file a police report, provide forensic evidence, or pursue prosecution. It repeals Chapter 6-1/2 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which was the primary statute prohibiting abortion, and clarifies that this exception does not repeal other abortion regulations or restrict local governments from imposing stricter abortion bans. The bill exempts abortions performed under this exception from certain reporting requirements under Sections 171.203 and 171.204. This directly affects pregnant patients who have experienced sexual assault and healthcare providers performing abortions under this specific exception.