How anti-abortion and anti-trans bills are impacted by Texas Democrats fleeing the state

Shefali Luthra

Reproductive Health Reporter

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Texas Democrats fled the state over the weekend to stop a Republican proposal redrawing the state’s congressional maps. But their exit has also temporarily halted other conservative priorities for the special session — including new abortion restrictions and a “bathroom bill” that would ban transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender.

When Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives left the state this weekend, it denied lawmakers the two-thirds quorum needed to proceed with legislative work. That move came after a House committee voted to approve the new congressional maps, a plan — crafted on President Donald Trump’s request — that would likely fli