Texas law bans abortion, except when a doctor, in their “reasonable medical judgment,” believes it is necessary to save the life or protect the health of the pregnant patient. Doctors have struggled to know when they can safely intervene without risking their medical license, as well as potentially up to life in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The guidance was criticized as both overly vague and overly prescriptive. At a stakeholder meeting in May, Steve Bresnen said the board shouldn’t “be afraid to start with a blank slate.”
I think that may be why the doctors are reluctant to draft actual clear guidelines. They want to give as much protection as possible, but fear their guidelines will be given the force of law.
Why should it be their responsibility to draft rules fixing terrible laws? Better to let the legislators sit in the pile they made or clean it up themselves.
Unfortunately, every member of the Texas Medical Board has been appointed by Greg Abbott at this point, and he’s not appointing anyone who doesn’t share his extremist ideology. What we’re seeing here is just damage control in the form of public relations