Texas continues to restrict the care women receive - but hey, moms could soon use the carpool lane

Texas moms could soon be allowed to use the carpool lanes, even if they are driving alone.

The Texas House passed a bill on the eve of Mother’s Day that would permit a woman who is “pregnant or is a parent or legal guardian” to drive in the carpool lane even if there are no other passengers.

Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, who authored the bill, said it was “a gift to our mothers in Texas.” But judging from the reaction of many women on social media, a carpool lane wasn’t at the top of their wish list.

Women pointed out the irony of the bill, given that the state has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the U.S. “We may let you die in a parking lot, but you can drive there in a HOV lane,” Susan Welch commented under a local news story about the bill on Facebook.

“We’d rather have affordable childcare & healthcare access, but I guess HOV lanes are also a thing we could do,” Dianna Orender added.

“Hows about we just get autonomy over our own bodies and we call it even?” Vanessa Mlynn wrote.

After Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, abortion was prohibited in Texas at all stages of pregnancy.

The only current exception is when a pregnant patient has a life-threatening condition. Doctors who support a patient by providing an illegal abortion face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine, and could lose their medical license.

Leach, a fierce abortion opponent, was motivated to push the bill after a pregnant woman in Texas was given a ticket for driving in the carpool lane in July 2022, a month after Roe v Wade was overturned.

Brandy Bottone, who was 34 weeks pregnant, argued that under the state’s new abortion law, there were two passengers in the car. The story sparked a conversation about the laws regarding when a life begins, which was welcomed by anti-abortionists who believe life begins at the moment of conception.

Leach's bill initially specified that pregnant women would be able to use carpool lanes, but Austin Democrat Rep. Gina Hinojosa filed the amendment to extent it to “a female operator of a motor vehicle who is pregnant or is a parent or legal guardian of another person.” Leach accepted the amendment.

Hinojosa acknowledged that more needs to be done for families in the state, but said the bill presented “an opportunity.”

“We don’t do nearly enough to help families,” Hinojosa said. “So when we have a chance to do something, we take it.”

The bill will now proceed to the Texas Senate.

Meanwhile, the state Senate passed a controversial bill this week that would allow individuals to sue anyone who “manufactures, distributes, mails, prescribes or provides” abortion pills for up to $100,000.