Nearly five years after Texas enacted its strict abortion ban, the Texas Medical Board will begin training doctors on how to legally provide abortions to protect patients’ lives.
The abortion ban was updated after Texas lawmakers passed the Life of the Mother Act last year, requiring the medical board to issue guidance for doctors by Jan. 1, Pro Publica reported. The move follows reports of rising sepsis rates among women experiencing pregnancy loss, increased ER visits requiring blood transfusions, and at least four deaths linked to delayed reproductive care, with more than 100 OB-GYNs blaming the state’s abortion restrictions.
Passed in 2021, Texas’ strict abortion ban imposed severe penalties on doctors, causing many to fear criminal consequences for intervening in life-threatening pregnancy emergencies. With the updated law now requiring training on when abortions are legally allowed, Texas becomes the first state with an abortion ban to mandate such guidance.
The new medical training clarifies that doctors can legally provide abortions even when a patient’s life is not imminently at risk and outlines nine scenarios, including preterm rupture of membranes and complications from an incomplete abortion. It also covers cases similar to past deaths, including the 2021 death of Josseli Barnica, who died from infection after doctors declined to intervene during an “inevitable” miscarriage while a fetal heartbeat remained. The new law indicates that abortion care would be legal in comparable circumstances.
While the training is now required, medical and legal experts say it covers only the most clear-cut scenarios. They cautioned that pregnancy complications are complex and wide-ranging, making them difficult to address in a brief presentation, with one attorney describing the training as “the bare minimum.”
“I could probably list 100 different situations that would cause people to pause and say, ‘Wow, does that fit into the law?’” said Dr. Tony Ogburn, an OB-GYN practicing in Texas. “They’re taking years and years of medical training and experience on how to manage these cases and summarizing it in 43 slides.”
Texas Medical Board President Dr. Sherif Zaafran said the training was reviewed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott, and state Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored the abortion ban. The governor-appointed board also consulted with the Texas Hospital Association and the Texas Medical Association.
“Most hospitals, most doctors, are getting this right. But this bill is to remove any excuse, remove any question, and also to make sure that doctors are trained,” Hughes said in March 2025, ahead of the Life of the Mother Act being passed.
Under the new rules, all doctors providing obstetric care, including ER and urgent care physicians, must complete a self-paced online course by 2027 to obtain or renew their medical licenses. Dr. Damla Karsan, a Houston-based OB-GYN, said she welcomes the training allowing physicians to rely on their medical judgment in emergencies.
“But having to defend your decision is still scary,” Karsan said.
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