Texas Says a Fetus Is a Child, Except When a Parent Sues a Negligent Doctor or State Official

Prison guard Salia Issa was seven months pregnant when she reported to work on a warm mid-November evening in 2021 at the Middleton Transfer Facility in Abilene, Texas. Issa had just started her night shift when she felt intense, contraction-like pains. She needed to get to a hospital right away. But, consistent with prison policy, supervising officers wouldn’t let her leave her post for hours, until someone came to replace her.

By the time Issa was allowed to drive herself to the emergency room, her baby had died. Doctors believe...