(NPR) – Since abortion became nearly entirely illegal in Texas in 2021, the state has seen a significant rise in the number of women who die in pregnancy or after giving birth. A group of bipartisan lawmakers in the state wants to change that by clarifying the state’s abortion ban with a new law.

A central player in this effort has been Republican State Senator Bryan Hughes. Though he was one of the original sponsors of The Texas Heartbeat Act which outlawed abortion, Hughes is now leading an effort to make clear there is a narrow pathway to the procedure.

“ Everybody agrees that the life of the mother should be protected,” says Hughes, who is the lead sponsor on the new legislation called, The Life of the Mother Act. (Read More)