Austin, TX
Texas Supreme Court upholds law outlawing abortion even in so-called ‘hard cases’
Another woman, Ashley Brandt, testified that when she was 12 weeks pregnant with twins, one of the babies was diagnosed with acrania, a fatal condition in which the skull fails to fuse. When the baby’s heart stopped, doctors told her, it would likely trigger labor, causing the healthy twin to die, as well. She traveled out of state to abort the stricken baby and gave birth to the healthy one, the court decision states.
Another woman, Samantha Casiano, lamented having to carry to term her baby girl who was diagnosed 20 weeks into the pregnancy with anencephaly, a condition in which the baby lacks a major portion of the brain and therefore is unable to live more than a short time after birth. The baby died four hours after delivery, the decision says.
Piecemeal challenges
Texas outlawed abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, sending abortion law back to legislatures and state referendums. Since then, abortion supporters have tried to chip away at the law.
Last year, The Center for Reproductive Rights, which supports abortion, filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of several women who experienced severe pregnancy complications, and three doctors.
The state’s Human Life Protection Act allows an abortion if doctors using “reasonable medical judgment” determine that a pregnant woman “has a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy that places the female at risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless the abortion is performed or induced.”
In August 2023, a Travis County district court judge in Austin, the state capital, issued a short-lived injunction that sought to offer doctors a “good faith judgment” exception. This would allow abortions in cases where a pregnancy complication “poses a risk of infection or otherwise makes continuing a pregnancy unsafe for the pregnant person,” where “a condition exacerbated by pregnancy … cannot be effectively treated during pregnancy,” and where “a fetal condition where the fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy and sustain life after birth.”
The state’s abortion statute does not contain such exceptions.
During oral arguments in November 2023, a state supreme court justice asked a lawyer from the state attorney general’s office defending the state’s anti-abortion law if the statute’s requirement that doctors use “reasonable medical judgment” to determine if an abortion is necessary doesn’t put doctors in a tough situation.
The lawyer said no.
“They are allowed to use reasonable medical judgment, which is presumably the judgment they use when treating a patient in any given circumstance. And so the option, I guess, facing the legislature — you could either draw a line and allow them to use their reasonable medical judgment, or you can do what the trial court did and essentially eliminate the line so that there really will never be a circumstance in which a woman is unable to obtain an abortion,” said Assistant State Attorney General Beth Klusmann.
(Story continues below)
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“And so, there are always going to be harder calls at the edge of that line, but the only other option is to eliminate the line entirely,” she said.
The case, which was decided Friday, May 31, is known as State of Texas v. Zurawski.
Join several Austin labor unions and community members to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s life and the countless immigrants who have been impacted by ICE.
The community vigil will take place at the Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11th starting at 6 PM. All are welcome to bring flowers and candles as we honor the loss of life and grieve the separation of families.
Community Vigil Details
🗓️ July 11, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
🗺️ 1314 E Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704
🚗 Public transit and rideshare encouraged! Limited parking available and overflow parking may be available at Travis High School.
Please consider donating to the family’s GoFundMe if you are able: https://bit.ly/atx4lorenzo
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A report released by the think tank Texas 2036 claims that ten state laws implemented between 2019 and 2025 led to “one of the nation’s most comprehensive strategies for connecting education to careers.”
The report is titled “The Next Generation of the Texas Miracle.” It can be read below.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036’s director of education and workforce policy, said in an announcement accompanying the report that the reforms have been steps in the right direction.
“Texas has a bright economic future ahead of it, but we have to make sure that Texas students are equipped to share in this prosperity,” she said. “Texas needs to double down on improving and investing in high-quality career pathways so that all Texas students can take part in the Texas Miracle. Thankfully, due to the Legislature’s great work over the past four sessions, we are on our way to that critical goal.”
The report gives several data points, such as a 532% increase in high schoolers earning “post-secondary credentials” since 2018, or that community colleges awarded 140,000 “credentials of value” in 2024.
It paints a rosy picture of the future Texas economy, but doesn’t source its data or explain how it reached these conclusions. It’s apparent that the think tank wants further laws related to Texas’ workforce and education.
“Texas 2036 is actively engaged in that process, pushing for data modernization and interoperability reforms that would allow the state to track whether credentials are meeting real employer needs in communities across the state,” said the think tank in its announcement.
Grace Atkins, policy advisor of postsecondary education for Texas 2036, called the think tank’s report “encouraging.”
“The early results are encouraging: more students are earning credentials that can help them move into good jobs, and that is real progress,” she said. “For students and families, these pathways can be the difference between getting by and getting ahead. The next step is making sure more Texans can earn credentials that lead to strong wages, real career options and greater economic mobility.”
AUSTIN, Texas — After Senator Charles Perry vowed to introduce another bill to ban THC in Texas next legislative session, an Austin cannabis shop owner is urging lawmakers to find a middle ground.
Estella Castro owns Austinite Cannabis Co., a family-owned shop that makes and sells cannabis and hemp products.
Austinite Cannabis Co. (Photo: CBS Austin/Audrey Wong)
Her business has faced a potential THC ban before. During the 2025 legislative session, Senate Bill 3 attempted to enact a broad ban on all cannabinoids except CBD and CBG.
Castro says she was most worried for her customers. “It was a big initial hit of like, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna pivot? How are we gonna keep the doors open for everybody to keep their jobs?” she said.
RELATED | Texas state senator plans to introduce new THC ban bill in upcoming session
That bill passed, but was later vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott. Similar legislation failed to pass during the subsequent special session.
However, the possibility of a total ban bill being introduced and passed next session could spell trouble for Austinite Cannabis.
During a hearing Tuesday, July 7, Senator Charles Perry vowed to present such a bill next session as public officials, medical experts, and others discussed THC’s medical uses, effects on minors, and regulation.
Castro says over half of the store’s revenue comes from products that contain THC.
“I would say it’s about a 60/40 split: 60% THC and 40 CBD… So feel like it is a huge number that affects my store in so many ways,” she said.
ALSO | Texas French Bread reopens dining room four years after fire
She feels that a total ban on THC would negatively affect multiple parties.
“Banning it is just hurting the consumer,” she said. “Making the consumer go and find a street dealer… killing any dispensaries… it’s gonna hurt your small business owner.”
If another THC ban bill is written, it will be introduced during the next legislative session, which begins in January 2027.
In the meantime, Castro’s two stores will continue to operate as normal. She hopes lawmakers will think twice about instituting a complete ban on THC.
“I feel like we’re better than that, you know, we’re Texas,” she said. “We need to find some middle ground where it’s not a complete ban, and we can still be able to come together.”
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