H.B. 7 is a Bounty-Hunter Bill to Export Texas’ Abortion Ban Nationwide

AUSTIN, TX—The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus condemned House Bill 7, deceptively named the “Woman and Child Protection Act,” as a dangerous escalation in the state’s war on women—a bounty-hunter law that punishes families, deputizes Texans as informants and exports Texas’ abortion ban across the nation.

“HB 7 isn’t about protecting life—it’s about control. It turns neighbors into informants and women into prisoners within their own state. By dangling six-figure rewards, it incentivizes harassment, fuels abuse and opens the door to nationwide enforcement of Texas’ cruel laws.

“This is not protection. This is surveillance. It pits Texans against one another and isolates women in moments of vulnerability. It is cruelty, wrapped in the language of protection.”

The consequences are clear.

• A grieving woman who miscarries could see her tragedy turned into evidence in court when a bystander overhears the name of her prescription.

• A rural mother relying on mail-order medication for postpartum hemorrhage could be dragged into court when a delivery driver notices the package.

• A midwife carrying lifesaving medicine could face a $100,000 lawsuit because a stranger glimpsed medication in her bag.

In each scenario, women aren’t just at risk—entire communities lose access to safe, reliable health care.

HB 7 also punishes intent. Conversations, compassion and even suspicion become grounds for lawsuits. A mother talking with her family, a friend offering support or a survivor confiding in someone they trust can all be targeted. The law arms abusers with the very system that claims to stop them.

And it doesn’t stop at Texas’ borders. HB 7 invites lawsuits against providers and pharmacies in other states for care that is fully legal in their own states. If California or New York tried to impose their laws on Texans, this legislature would erupt in outrage.

“This bill is part of a broader authoritarian playbook. What starts in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas—HB 7 sets a precedent that could unleash copycat laws across the country, allowing politicians to police every American’s private medical decisions.

“At a time when Texans are demanding flood relief and real solutions for rising costs, Republican leaders are doubling down on extremism, choosing to police women’s bodies—and thoughts—instead of solving real problems.

“Even with HB 7 on the books, we will keep fighting. Texans deserve leaders who expand freedom, not strip it away.”