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Paxton sues San Antonio for allocating taxpayer money to fund ‘abortion tourism’ | Texas

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-05 12:22:00

(The Center Square) – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued San Antonio officials Friday, alleging the city’s use of taxpayer money to fund transportation for women in Texas to have abortions out of state is unconstitutional.  

“The City of San Antonio is blatantly defying Texas law by using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion tourism,” Paxton said. “Beyond being an egregious misuse of public funds, it’s an attack on the pro-life values of our state. I will not stand by while rogue cities use tax dollars to circumvent state law and take the innocent lives of unborn children.”

The lawsuit was filed in the District Court of Bexar County and names the city of San Antonio, its mayor and city manager as defendants. 

This is the second time the city has been sued for its abortion transportation activity; the first was filed by prolife groups last year. 

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, returning the issue of abortion to the states, Texas’ abortion prohibition laws went into effect. Not only is abortion banned in Texas with some exceptions, but state law prohibits anyone from transporting or funding transportation services for abortions and allows civil suits to be filed against violators.

Undeterred by the threat of legal action, the San Antonio City Council passed a resolution in support of abortion in August 2022 and later received more than $20 million from publicly owned CPS Energy “to fund abortion travel,” The Center Square reported.

In 2023, the city council created the Reproductive Justice Fund (RJF) and a line item in its $3.96 billion 2024 budget to fund it. The city council also allocated $500,000 for the RJF to cover travel costs for residents to have abortions outside of Texas, referred to as “downstream services,” or what Paxton refers to as “abortion tourism.” 

Pro-abortion groups, Jane’s Due Process, AVOW, the Buckle Bunnies Fund, Sueños Sin Fronteras, and the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity all support the RJF.

Several prolife groups, including the San Antonio Family Association, sued to stop the city “from providing taxpayer money to any organization that pays for abortion travel or that procures elective abortions for Texas residents.” 

A district court ruled against them; they appealed to the Fourth Court of Appeals.

After being sued, city council members next requested another $100,000 for “downstream services.” 

Six months later, Paxton sued, arguing, “Under Texas law, cities have no authority to use public money to assist people in circumventing Texas’s pro-life protections.” 

The lawsuit states that city officials are “using taxpayer money” to “fund an illegal abortion procurement scheme,” appropriating $100,000 to its RJF “specifically to pay for pregnant women to travel for out-of-state abortions.”

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that city officials are violating the Texas Constitution’s gift clause through the scheme and requests the court to issue a temporary and permanent injunction prohibiting the city from spending any taxpayer money on it. It also asks the court to prohibit the city from allocating taxpayer money for abortion-related services in the future.  

The lawsuit is among several Paxton has filed in defense of the state laws banning abortion.

Last fall, he sued Austin officials for similar reasons, arguing that city officials appropriating funding for abortion travel violated the Texas Constitution’s gift clause and represented an ultra vires action, The Center Square reported.

More recently, he sued and secured an injunction against three Houston area abortion providers who illegally performed abortions and claimed to practice medicine and provide so-called medical services without a license, The Center Square reported.

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News from the South - Texas News Feed

Frustrated with poor play against UTEP, Arch Manning will 'get back to basics'

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www.kxan.com – Billy Gates – 2025-09-14 22:29:00

SUMMARY: Texas quarterback Arch Manning and coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledge the team’s underwhelming offensive performance in a 27-10 win over UTEP. Manning completed 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception, frustrating fans expecting a stronger showing at home. Despite a rough first half with 10 consecutive incompletions, Manning showed flashes of promise and scored twice on the ground. Sarkisian emphasized Manning’s mental struggle rather than physical injury and expressed confidence in his growth and consistency. Manning committed to improving fundamentals and handling in-game pressure ahead of tougher matchups, including their SEC opener against Florida on Oct. 4.

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Texas nursing students return from life-changing internship in Africa

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www.kxan.com – Esmeralda Zamora – 2025-09-14 13:12:00

SUMMARY: Two Texas nursing students, Tom Strandwitz and Valerie Moon, participated in Mercy Ships’ inaugural nursing internship aboard the Africa Mercy hospital ship in Madagascar. Selected from nationwide applicants, they gained hands-on experience in various departments, providing free surgeries and care in underserved regions. Their travel expenses were covered by over $11,000 raised through community GoFundMe campaigns. Both students were deeply impacted by patient interactions, such as cataract surgeries restoring sight and building trust with families. The internship broadened their perspectives on global health care. They plan to continue careers in intensive care and public health, with hopes to return to international nursing missions.

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Austin becoming FEMA-approved emergency alert authority, planning 1st test alert

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www.kxan.com – Abigail Jones – 2025-09-13 12:16:00

SUMMARY: On Monday, Sept. 29, Austin will conduct a test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), becoming a FEMA-approved alerting authority able to send emergency alerts via Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to cell phones and Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages to TV and radio. This coordinated test at 3 p.m. will cover the city across its three counties—Travis, Hays, and Williamson. The alerts will clearly indicate a test and require no action. IPAWS allows authenticated, geotargeted emergency notifications without subscription, enhancing public safety communication. More details are available at ReadyCentralTexas.org and Ready.gov/alerts.

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