Tech groups oppose Texas bill limiting abortion pill info.
Restriction of Information on Abortion is a Threat to Women’s Health
Under legislation before the Texas government, pregnant women’s health is at risk due to the restriction of information on abortion. A coalition of technology and free speech advocacy groups wrote a letter to the chairs of the Texas House of Representatives, requesting that the leadership oppose House Bill 2690, which restricts the sale of select abortion pills in Texas and limits information about the pills.
- The bill includes a clause that removes webpages that offer information about the drugs or how to get them.
- The left-leaning tech group Chamber of Progress, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and PEN America are among the authors of the letter.
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The coalition argues that these prohibitions may lead to services censoring direct messages between patients and caregivers on obtaining safe care. It may also force services to block or censor telemedicine counseling services in which medical professionals advise pregnant people on a variety of reproductive health services, including but not limited to legal abortions. They also argue that not providing sufficient information would pose harm to all women, especially communities of color and low-income women.
- Online searches for information about abortion are most common in states with the strictest abortion laws.
- Misinformation could force women to receive dangerous treatments if medical content on the subject is limited.
Access to medication-based abortion is still protected federally, and women are still allowed to drive across borders to get treatments. However, Texas has implemented multiple restrictions on abortion in recent years. Five women sued the state in early March, alleging that the state’s laws prevented them from getting abortions despite the life-threatening circumstances they were experiencing.
A federal judge in Texas moved to block the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, a product that is explicitly banned by H.B. 2690. The White House said it intends to fight the ruling in court, while House Democrats have submitted legislation to ensure the pills remain on the market.
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