The bill reflects a change in strategy for Texas Republicans, who in previous years focused on the health of the mother in drafting anti-abortion legislation but now are concentrating on the fetus.
In 2013, Texas approved one of the nation’s strictest abortion laws, which supporters said would improve women’s health. The law imposed costly building upgrades on abortion clinics while requiring doctors who perform the procedure to have admitting privileges.
More than 20 Texas abortion clinics closed after the law passed. The Supreme Court voided much of that law, and Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote in the majority opinion that it failed to offer “medical benefits” sufficient to justify the burdens placed on women. Three Texas abortion clinics have since reopened.
Representative Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, the leader of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, predicted future legal challenges to the new legislation.
On Friday, he asked, “Why don’t we just stop passing unconstitutional laws for a change?”
