San Antonio has shut down its taxpayer-funded abortion travel program following the implementation of a new state law explicitly barring local governments from using public money to facilitate abortions, including travel to other states.
Senate Bill 33—signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott and in effect since last September—prohibits cities and other governmental entities from spending taxpayer dollars on abortion-related logistics such as travel, lodging, food, childcare, or counseling that encourages abortion.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the city’s decision reflects the clear intent of Texas law.
“Texas respects the sanctity of unborn life, and I will always do everything in my power to prevent radicals from manipulating the system to murder innocent babies,” said Paxton. “It is illegal for cities to fund abortion tourism with taxes.”
Before SB 33 took effect, San Antonio had created a “Reproductive Justice Fund” that included $100,000 to assist women seeking abortions outside Texas. The move mirrored similar efforts by left-leaning cities, including Austin, which has also since shut down its abortion travel fund.
The attorney general sued San Antonio last year, arguing the fund violated existing abortion statutes and the Texas Constitution’s Gift Clause, which restricts the use of public money for private purposes.
Although a trial court initially dismissed the case as premature because no funds had yet been distributed, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals later blocked the city from spending the money while the case remained pending.
Republican lawmakers argued SB 33 was necessary to close loopholes exploited by cities attempting to circumvent Texas’ abortion restrictions by outsourcing the procedure to other states while using taxpayer funds to cover related costs.
San Antonio is not alone. The city of Austin, which previously approved taxpayer funding for abortion-related travel through nonprofit groups, has also shut down a similar program.
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