Last week, a Texas mother sued Kristan Hawkins, the president and founder of Students for Life of America, an anti-abortion organization, and three other staff members for breaking a law the group helped to establish.
In March 2026, Hawkins posted an Instagram photo with two other staff members in front of the Space Center Houston with the caption: “Guess what we are doing? Ordering abortion pills undercover? Yep. Stay tuned.”
The lawsuit was filed on Oct. 6 by Maria Puerto, who is using a pseudonym to protect her family. Ms. Puerto believes that the group violated House Bill 7, known as the Woman and Child Protection Act, and also mocked those Texans who were deeply affected by the bill.
In December 2025, the Texas legislature passed the Woman and Child Protection Act, which allows almost anyone to sue a person who imports, delivers, or prescribes abortion pills. Plaintiffs can win at least $100,000 per violation.
Despite being on birth control, in 2022, Puerto became pregnant. This unplanned pregnancy came right after Texas banned abortions. With no money or way to travel out of state, along with caring for her disabled mother, Puerto was unable to get an abortion and was forced to carry to term.
The pregnancy took a toll on every aspect of her life. Severe morning sickness caused her to miss class and lose her scholarship. She then lost her job at a convenience store and had to drop out of college. In 2024, Puerto had another unplanned pregnancy.
“I had everything in my hands,” Puerto said in a Spanish interview with The New York Times. “But the laws came like a hurricane and took everything away.”
Now, at age 26, she shares a room with her young children at her mother’s house and is unable to find a job that could cover the cost of raising two children. After seeing the Hawkin’s photo on social media, Puerto filed the suit.
“I’ve filed a lawsuit against those who helped build these horrible laws,” Puerto wrote in a statement, “And then had the privilege to break them in an attempt to trap women like me who still need help.”
From the four defendants, Puerto is seeking $459,782 – the average cost of raising two children until adulthood in Texas. Since Puerto is not connected to the defendants, if she wins the lawsuit, she will be awarded $10,000 while the rest of the money must be held in a trust for a charity chosen by the plaintiff.
According to Abortion in America, the organization supporting Puerto’s legal case, she has chosen to donate the money to Jane’s Due Process, a non-profit that helps young Texans access abortions and birth control.
Puerto’s lawsuit puts the law’s enforcement mechanism under scrutiny. HB 7 allows individuals to bring lawsuits over alleged violations, even when they were not personally affected by the conduct. Puerto is now using that mechanism to challenge anti-abortion activists who supported the law.
Her case highlights the consequences of abortion restrictions for people who cannot afford to travel for care. It also raises questions about how broadly Texas’s abortion pill law can be applied and whether those who helped establish it can face legal challenges under its provisions.