Texas Family Sues AG Ken Paxton and Doctors Amid Abortion Law Controversy
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Relatives of a 37-year-old woman who died from preeclampsia are suing Texas officials and doctors, claiming that the state’s life-protecting abortion law prevented a procedure they believe could have saved her.
A Texas family has filed a civil suit in San Antonio, targeting Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Medical Board, a university health system, and several physicians, alleging that they denied an emergency abortion to 37-year-old Tierra Walker, who was 20 weeks pregnant and died in December 2024. The complaint claims Walker, who suffered from severe preeclampsia, was sent home even though her condition allegedly met the state’s emergency-exception criteria for abortion, and accuses the defendants of violating her constitutional right to life and federal emergency-care statutes.
The lawsuit challenges Texas’s 2021 abortion restrictions, which were enacted to protect unborn children and allow private citizens to hold abortion providers accountable. Plaintiffs argue that the law creates a "blanket prohibition" that discourages doctors from acting in emergencies, and claim it conflicts with the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
"The defendants have imposed a merciless blanket prohibition on abortion that intimidates doctors into inaction and breeds extreme fear among Texas’ medical establishment," the complaint alleges, echoing the rhetoric of abortion-rights activists who oppose the state’s pro-life stance.
A hospital spokesperson declined to comment, and Paxton’s office and the Texas Medical Board have not responded to requests for comment. The case is one of several recent lawsuits from abortion advocates seeking to undermine Texas’s strong pro-life laws, including a separate suit by two Oklahoma women who claim their rights were violated by being required to carry non-viable pregnancies.