Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center canceled a scheduled talk by an OB-GYN who has provided abortion care later in pregnancy after opponents argued the discussion would be illegal on a public university campus, a claim abortion-rights advocates dispute.
Asked who made the decision and whether communications from activists played a role, university officials said only that the Health Sciences Center “evaluated the request and determined it was not in the best interest of the university to host this event on campus.”
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Dr. Shelley Sella, an OB-GYN and author, was scheduled to speak about medical and ethical considerations surrounding abortion later in pregnancy. The Jan. 26 event was organized by the Texas Tech chapter of Medical Students for Choice, which has 31 members, according to Pamela Merritt, the organization’s executive director.
Merritt said medical schools should support opportunities for students to learn about reproductive health care that remains legal in Texas, adding that discussions about abortion ethics and care are part of preparing future physicians.
“If Texas Tech is going to cave to … a political activist complaining about an event rather than uphold the integrity of medical education, then that raises the question of the quality of education at Texas Tech medical school,” Merritt said.
Texas’ near-total ban on abortions includes a narrow exception allowing doctors to terminate a pregnancy to save a pregnant patient’s life or prevent serious impairment. A 2025 law, Senate Bill 31, clarified that doctors do not need to wait until death is imminent to act in a medical emergency. The law does not restrict medical education or discussion about abortion care.
The cancellation at Texas Tech followed public pressure from anti-abortion activists and a conservative student group.
In a Jan. 21 Facebook post, Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life Across Texas, wrote that when he learned about the planned talk, he “knew I had to start making some calls.” In the same post, Dickson compared hosting the event to allowing criminal activity, arguing it should be “just as jarring” as promoting rape or the manufacture of illegal drugs.
The Texas Tech chapter of Turning Point USA later issued a statement echoing that argument. The group thanked Dickson and others for drawing attention to the event and claimed responsibility for its cancellation, which it said was “not an attempt to suppress free speech.”
Dickson told The Texas Tribune by text that he did not directly contact anyone at the university, saying he raised his concerns publicly and with people in Lubbock. A representative for the Texas Tech chapter of Turning Point USA could not be reached for comment.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
Disclosure: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.