Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday praised yet another new abortion law that tightened the limits on abortion-inducing drugs and created an additional layer of restrictions after an almost complete ban on abortion began in the state earlier this month.
The new restrictions, which come into effect in December, will shorten the window in which doctors and clinics in Texas can administer abortion medication from 10 weeks to seven weeks and prohibit the pills from being mailed.
It is because almost all abortions in Texas are currently banned under another law called Senate Bill 8, which abortion providers say they realized their worst fears within weeks.
Abortion clinics again turned to the US Supreme Court this week, asking them to re-block Senate Bill 8. A separate Justice Department lawsuit is due to be heard by a federal judge in Austin next week.
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration – by order of a federal court – relaxed restrictions on abortion pills so they could be mailed. During a signing ceremony for the latest Texas abortion restriction at a church in Austin, Abbott said the new measure would be necessary if these relaxed federal rules become permanent.
Drug abortions account for about 40% of all abortions in the United States, and Texas is one of several Republican-run states that have restricted access to the pills.
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