Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Legislature should amend the language of the state's near-total abortion ban to address confusion over when doctors may terminate pregnancies.

“I think it’s clear, but I’m also open to the idea that some doctors don’t see it that way, some hospitals don’t think that way,” said Patrick, a Republican who presides over the Texas Senate. “We don’t want to stand in the way of that, but we’re not going to open it up so that abortion is prevalent again in the state.”

"I do think that we need to clarify any language so that doctors are not in fear of being penalized if they think the life of the mother is at risk," Patrick said Sunday on WFAA's "Inside Texas Politics" after he was asked whether he expected "any significant abortion legislation,

Texas already has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Anti-abortion advocates are working to close the remaining loopholes.

Patients and doctors have said the ban's only exception is so vague and the penalties are so steep that providers are reluctant to perform emergency abortions.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Sunday said the Legislature should amend the language of the state’s near-total abortion ban to address confusion over when doctors may terminate pregnancies.

Amanda Zurawski, who nearly died after being denied an abortion, has been fighting to clarify the medical exception to Texas law for years. For the first time, Republicans might be willing to take up the issue.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday that the Texas Legislature should clarify the state’s strict abortion ban to make clear when doctors can perform emergency procedures. “I do think that we ...

Patrick, a Republican who presides over the Texas Senate, holds enormous power in setting the Legislature’s agenda and deciding which bills get passed into law.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced his Senate priorities for the 89th legislative session. Of his 40 priority bills, the 25 he laid out in his announcement include school choice, investing in water supply,

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick priorities range from bipartisan issues to GOP talking points, like “educating Texas students on the horrors of communism.”

The number, possibly an undercount, underscores the effect of blocking the procedure for one of the state’s most vulnerable populations.