San Antonio drops 'abortion tourism' fund after passage of new state law
Quick Summary
- San Antonio will abandon its 'abortion tourism' fund following the passage of Senate Bill 33.
- The city previously allocated $100,000 to support travel for residents seeking abortions outside Texas.
- Taking effect last year, SB 33 prohibits governmental entities from using public funds to support out-of-state abortions.
San Antonio will abandon a controversial program that allocated public funds to support travel for residents seeking abortions outside Texas.
Last April, the Texas city appropriated $100,000 to its “Reproductive Justice Fund,” resulting in a lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who claimed the fund violated state law and the Texas Constitution by using taxpayer money for private purposes in a way that undermined Texas' strict abortion restrictions.
While the lawsuit stalled after a trial court initially dismissed it as premature since no funds had been distributed, an appellate court intervened in June 2025 to block San Antonio from spending any additional funds until litigation ran its course.
Following the passage of Senate Bill 33, which took effect in September, San Antonio opted not to proceed with distributing funds for out-of-state abortion travel. Under SB 33, governmental entities are explicitly prohibited from using public funds to provide logistical support for so-called “abortion tourism,” including travel, lodging, food, childcare, or counseling related to obtaining the procedure — particularly when it involves out-of-state providers.
After Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed SB 33 into law, city officials indicated that the bill clarified and closed off any use of funds for the purpose of “abortion tourism,” leading to the dismissal of Paxton's lawsuit without a formal ruling.
In a statement, Paxton declared the outcome a clear defeat for the city's efforts.
“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,” said Attorney General Paxton. “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.”
Attorneys for the city pushed back on any claim that the state was victorious in its legal efforts against the city.
“This litigation was both initiated and abandoned by the State of Texas,” the San Antonio city attorney’s office said in a statement. “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 has always been clear that it would follow the law when it comes to the Reproductive Justice Fund. 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 statement added. "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. It’s unfortunate that the Texas Attorney General has suggested otherwise with a misleading notice of nonsuit and associated press release."
San Antonio wasn’t the only Texas city impacted by SB 33: a similar fund in Austin was also discontinued in response to the new law.
In 2025, city officials in Austin granted $100,000 to two local abortion nonprofits, according to local ABC affiliate KVUE. Overall, the city approved up to $400,000 to eventually fully support the Reproductive Justice Fund.
