San Antonio Ends Abortion Travel Fund Following New Texas Law and Legal Battle

San Antonio has discontinued its controversial abortion travel fund after facing legal pressure from state officials and the implementation of a new Texas law prohibiting the use of public funds for abortion-related expenses.

The city’s decision comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued San Antonio over its $100,000 Reproductive Justice Fund, which was approved by City Council members last year to support residents seeking abortion care out of state. Paxton alleged the fund was “transparently attempting to undermine and subvert Texas law and public policy.”

On Friday, the lawsuit was dismissed without a finding for either side, with both parties claiming some measure of victory. Paxton declared the outcome a win for his office.

“Texas respects the sanctity of unborn life, and I will always do everything in my power to prevent radicals from manipulating the system to murder innocent babies,” Paxton said in a statement. “It is illegal for cities to fund abortion tourism with taxpayer funds. San Antonio’s unlawful attempt to cover the travel and other expenses for out-of-state abortions has now officially been defeated.”

However, San Antonio’s city attorney contested Paxton’s characterization, noting that it was the state that both initiated and ultimately abandoned the litigation. “In other words, the City did not drop any claims; the State of Texas, through the Texas Office of the Attorney General, dropped its claims,” the city attorney’s office stated.

The legal dispute centered around Paxton’s argument that the travel fund violated the gift clause of the Texas Constitution. In June, the state’s 15th Court of Appeals granted a temporary injunction blocking the city from distributing the fund while the case proceeded.

The situation was further complicated in August when Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 33 into law, explicitly banning the use of public money to fund “logistical support” for abortion. The legislation also empowers Texas residents to file civil suits against cities they believe are violating the prohibition.

San Antonio officials maintain they have always intended to operate within the boundaries of state law. “The City believed the law, prior to the passage of SB 33, allowed the uses of the fund for out-of-state abortion travel that were discussed publicly,” the city attorney’s office explained. “After SB 33 became law and no longer allowed those uses, the City did not proceed with the procurement of those specific uses—consistent with its intent all along that it would follow the law.”

While the abortion travel component has been eliminated, the broader Reproductive Justice Fund remains in place but is now restricted to non-abortion services such as home pregnancy tests, emergency contraception, and STI testing.

San Antonio is not alone in these adjustments. The city of Austin has similarly shut down its own abortion travel fund following the new legislation. Austin had previously allocated $400,000 to its Reproductive Healthcare Logistics Fund for 2024, designed to assist women traveling to other states for abortion care with expenses including travel, food, and lodging.

These developments reflect the continuing tensions over reproductive rights in Texas, which has implemented some of the nation’s strictest abortion restrictions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The state’s efforts to prevent local governments from facilitating out-of-state abortion access highlight the complex legal landscape surrounding reproductive healthcare access in post-Roe America, where states increasingly diverge in their approaches to abortion policy.