for the guidelines in March and after considering input from doctors, lawyers, and other interested parties, the panel adopted guidance on June 21 that was largely in line with the earlier proposal.\r\n

What Do the Guidelines Say?

\r\nThe Texas Medical Board declined to adopt a list of specific exemptions to the state’s abortion ban, arguing that such a list would be incomplete because the circumstances of each patient are unique."} 57:{"type":"p","text":"The panel did, however, clarify that removing an ectopic pregnancy does not qualify as an abortion, nor is the removal of a dead, unborn child whose death was caused by a spontaneous abortion."} 58:{"type":"p","text":"Further, the guidelines clarify that doctors need not wait until a mother’s life is in imminent danger to carry out an abortion."} 59:{"type":"p","text":"“Imminence of the threat of life or impairment of a major bodily function is not required” for the legal performance of an abortion, the guidelines state."} 5a:{"type":"p","text":"The board modified some controversial reporting requirements for doctors, allowing them seven days to submit documentation about why they performed an abortion. Doctors had previously complained that they were required to submit such documentation before carrying out the procedure, even during medical emergencies."} 5b:{"type":"p","text":"The new guidelines also removed a provision that required doctors to document if they tried to transfer a patient to another doctor or facility to avoid performing the procedure themselves."} 5c:{"type":"p","text":"The Texas Medical Board acknowledged that the adopted guidelines provide clarification to rules regarding exceptions to the state’s abortion ban while acknowledging that the guidance could not address every issue doctors had with the legislation."} 5d:{"type":"p","text":"“The reality is that the Board can only act where it has the authority to provide rules within the confines of the law,” Texas Medical Board president, Dr. Sherif Zaafran, said in a

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