Texas has a law that allows parents to give up newborns at fire stations or hospitals. Hardly anyone uses it.

Latest News

• How John Cornyn and the U.S. Senate defied 26 years of inaction to tackle gun violence

  by Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post 11 hours ago

  Four senators, including Cornyn, used a distinctive combination of policy expertise, legislative experience and political courage to push past obstacles that had repeatedly stymied previous attempts at compromise. Full Story 

• Graduation in Uvalde gives tragedy-stricken town a night of normality

  by Ariana Perez-Castells and Kylie Cooper June 25, 2022

  A month after their graduation was postponed by a mass shooting, Uvalde High School seniors finally got to celebrate their graduation on Friday. Full Story 

• Local efforts to decriminalize abortion in Texas likely won’t help clinics stay open

  by Eleanor Klibanoff June 25, 2022

  District attorneys and local leaders in five counties have promised not to pursue criminal charges related to the state’s new abortion laws. But civil and administrative fines could be financially devastating or cost health care providers their licenses. Full Story 

• Biden signs bipartisan gun measure negotiated by Sen. John Cornyn after Uvalde shooting

  by Matthew Watkins June 25, 2022

  The new law contains modest provisions but is the most significant gun measure passed by Congress in nearly three decades. Full Story 

• Republican Texas House candidate in Collin County charged with impersonating public servant

  by Patrick Svitek Updated: June 25, 2022

  Frederick Frazier’s runoff opponent accused him of posing as a city code compliance officer to get campaign signs taken down. Frazier said his opponent is to blame in the case. Full Story 

• Pandemonium, then silence: Inside a Texas abortion clinic after the fall of Roe

  by Eleanor Klibanoff June 25, 2022

  Texas clinics immediately stopped providing abortions Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Then, they had to tell their patients. Full Story 

• New Mexico warily assumes its new role as a destination for abortion seekers and providers

  by Jolie McCullough June 25, 2022

  For many in Texas and elsewhere, New Mexico may be the closest place to obtain legal abortion services. But it’s a mostly rural, sparsely populated state that has long struggled to provide health care to its own residents. Full Story 

• Abortion rights demonstrators take to the streets in Texas: “It’s just unbelievable”

  by Jaden Edison and Cecilia Lenzen June 24, 2022

  Through speeches, signs and chants, protesters across the state expressed their concerns Friday about the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Full Story 

• What you need to know about abortion in Texas

  by Megan Munce June 24, 2022

  The nation’s high court has eliminated the constitutional protection for abortion. Clinics in Texas stopped providing the procedure immediately. We’re answering our readers’ questions. Full Story 

• “We’re rejoicing”: Texas abortion foes celebrate Supreme Court ruling and say their work isn’t done

  by Mitchell Ferman, Brian Lopez, Cecilia Lenzen and Jaden Edison Updated: June 24, 2022

  Friday was joyful for activists who have spent decades fighting to end abortion, and now they want to see abortion restrictions spread nationwide. Full Story 

• In Roe decision, Justice Clarence Thomas invites new legal challenges to contraception and same-sex marriage rights

  by James Barragán June 24, 2022

  Experts told The Texas Tribune that Thomas’ opinion signals an openness from the court to reconsidering other settled legal precedents related to rights the court has ruled are protected by the constitution. Full Story 

• Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, at least 50,000 Texans received abortions in the state each year. Here’s a look behind the numbers.

  by Mandi Cai Updated: June 24, 2022

  Most Texans who got abortions in the state were in their 20s and 30s, and the vast majority of abortions were performed 10 weeks into pregnancy or earlier. Black Texans consistently had the highest rates of abortion. Full Story 

• Wealth will now largely determine which Texans can access abortion

  by Karen Brooks Harper June 24, 2022

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade will not fall equally. Texans most likely to seek out abortion care in the past are now the least likely to be able to afford it. People of color will be most disproportionately affected. Full Story 

• How the U.S. Supreme Court abortion ruling is already affecting Texas

  by Texas Tribune Staff Updated: June 24, 2022

  The Texas Tribune has been covering the fight over abortion rights for years. Here’s what you need to know about the ruling and how it will affect Texans. Full Story 

• Texas congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents Uvalde, breaks with House Republicans to vote for gun bill

  by Abby Livingston Updated: June 24, 2022

  The U.S. House passed the legislation Friday afternoon. Nearly all Texas Republicans voted against it. The bill is widely viewed as a series of modest changes to current gun regulations, falling far short of proposals pushed by House Democrats and President Joe Biden. Full Story 

• Abortions in Texas have stopped after Attorney General Ken Paxton said pre-Roe bans could be in effect, clinics say

  by Erin Douglas and Eleanor Klibanoff Updated: June 24, 2022

  Paxton and some anti-abortion activists are arguing that state laws that banned abortion before Roe v. Wade — and were never repealed — could now be in effect in Texas. Full Story