AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas medical panel on Friday approved guidance for doctors working under one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans but refused to list specific exceptions to the law, which doctors have complained is dangerously unclear.that had been challenged by doctors and a group of women who argued it stopped them from getting medical care even when their pregnancies became dangerous.
Texas law prohibits abortions except when a pregnant patient has a life-threatening condition. A doctor convicted of providing an illegal abortion in Texas can face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and lose their medical license. “What is black and white are the exceptions. What is gray is the medical judgment,” said Dr. Sherif Zaafran, president of the board.