The Texas abortion law filibustered by state Sen. Wendy Davis was diminished in court Monday by a federal judge, although most of the measure will go forward unchanged.

A provision that required abortion clinics to have admitting privileges with a hospital no farther than 30 miles away was ruled unconstitutional and “without a rational basis” by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel.

Supporters claim the law seeks to make abortions in the state safer, while detractors say it seeks to make abortions in the state more or less impossible. The main obstruction to abortion is a provision in the measure that requires clinics to have the same health standards as hospital emergency rooms, which is cost-prohibitive for many facilities. That provision will go forward, as will stricter guidelines for the abortion drug RU-486.

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer

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