A measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and might drastically reduce the number of abortion facilities in Texas has been approved by the Texas House of Representatives.
The House approved the controversial bill early this morning.
Among its provisions, the measure would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancyand would only allow abortions to take place at facilities that meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers. The latter provision would necessitate costly upgrades to the overwhelming majority of abortion-providing facilities in Texas.
For the bill to move forward, the House still needs to give it final approval. That's because the Senate will also have to vote on the bill again – since the version that passed the Senate earlier didn’t include the ban after 20 weeks.
All representatives from the KETR listening area voted in favor of the bill. Those lawmakers are Dan Flynn (R-Canton, District 2), Larry Phillips (R-Sherman, District 62), Scott Turner (R-Frisco, District 33), George Lavender (R-Texarkana, District 1), Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola, District 5), Lance Gooden (R-Terrell, District 4) and Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker, District 89).
The House also approved a measure to fund transportation projects and mandatory sentences for some minors convicted of capital murder. The special session ends Tuesday at midnight.
