Texas AG declares success as San Antonio shuts down abortion travel fund

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has declared 'victory' in his lawsuit against the city of San Antonio, which halted its abortion travel fund after the state passed a law making such funds illegal.

Key Takeaways:

• AG Paxton had sued the city of San Antonio for its travel fund before Governor Greg Abbott signed a law in August making such funds illegal.

• The city attorney claims Paxton simply dismissed the lawsuit but did not accomplish a 'victory.'

• Regardless, the fund's closure likely means more preborn children may be protected from abortion.

The Details:

In a press release issued January 9, Paxton said he had "secured victory" in successfully halting San Antonio's abortion travel fund, following his "aggressive legal action and the passage of Senate Bill 33, which bans taxpayer funds from being used to fund abortion-related activities."

“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.”

According to the San Antonio Report, the city attorney objected to the idea that Paxton was "victorious" in the lawsuit, instead noting that the lawsuit was "abandoned."

“This litigation was both initiated and abandoned by the State of Texas,” the city attorney’s office said in a statement Friday afternoon. “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 attorney's office noted that the fund was shut down last September, after SB 33's passage.

"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.”

The Backstory:

Despite Texas law protecting most preborn children from abortion, the San Antonio City Council approved an "abortion travel" budget in April 2025, appropriating $100,000 to a “Reproductive Justice Fund” to help pay for pregnant women to travel out of state to abort their children. Paxton sued the city for its use of the funds, which he said was illegal.

In August 2025, Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 33, a bill designed to close a loophole used by the cities of San Antonio and Austin to create abortion travel funds. SB 33 explicitly made it illegal for city councils to use taxpayer dollars for abortion travel.

The Bottom Line:

San Antonio is no longer paying for its pregnant mothers to travel to kill their preborn children. Whether it is a legal 'victory' or not, lives could be saved — and that's something worth celebrating.