Abortion

Lawsuits are starting to mount in connection to the historic wildfires in the panhandle. And KUT’s Olivia Aldridge has the latest as the Texas Medical Board plans to discuss guidance for physicians navigating the medical exception to Texas' abortion law.

Today is the last day Texas citizens can register to vote in the primary election coming up on March 5. And Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports with Texas near-total ban on abortion without an exception for rape, pregnancies caused by rape are becoming a growing problem in the state.

With the number of mental and physical health concerns now associated with excessive screen time, Our reporter Samantha Larned has more from one doctor who is talking about how to develop healthier habits when it comes to devices. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro has the latest after a court ruled that emergency rooms in Texas are not obligated under law to perform emergency abortions.

After hearing from the public, Lubbock’s city council praised the civic engagement this effort motivated but voted to reject the ordinance because they felt obligated by their oaths to the Texas Constitution and state laws. Now, the proposal will be on the ballot in the upcoming May election for a decision from Lubbock voters, a strategy tried in the city before hoping to bring people to the polls.

Our reporter Samantha Larned has more on the city’s purchase of six new paratransit buses as the next phase of its “fleet replacement” plans. KERA's Bekah Morr reports on a growing number of abortion challenges in Texas as the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear a case about whether to restrict access to a common abortion drug.

Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on the Lubbock Police Department's coming change in policy responding to minor car crashes. And KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports the Texas Supreme Court has heard both sides in the case and must now decide whether one of Texas' most restrictive abortion laws is too vague in its narrow emergency exemption.

The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports one Texas congressman pushing back against counties banning travel on county roads to access abortion services. Sudden cardiac arrest has been identified as the leading cause of death for young athletes. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more from one local physician on the condition.

In most circumstances, it is illegal to perform an abortion in Texas. The solution for many is to travel out of Texas and to a state where abortion is still legal.

In Lubbock County, a controversial ordinance outlawing travel on county roads to access abortion services was approved. This effort makes Lubbock the largest county in Texas to pass a rule against abortion transportation. Some community members were more surprised by the move from commissioners than the vote itself.

Some Lubbockites said they left the courthouse feeling betrayed by county commissioners after what was initially presented as nothing more than a simple discussion on the proposal ended with a vote.