The head of the Texas Medical Board says specifying exceptions to the ban so would have been beyond state law and the board's authorityA Texas medical panel on Friday approved guidance for doctors working under one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bans. Still, it refused to list specific exceptions to the law, which doctors have complained is dangerously unclear.
The board, however, modified some of the most controversial reporting requirements for doctors, allowing them seven days to submit documentation about why they provided an emergency or medically necessary abortion. Doctors had previously complained they were required to do that before intervening, even during medical emergencies.
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, board president.