Houston Chronicle - Texans to get 24-hour wait on abortions

The Senate tentatively approved a bill Tuesday establishing a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion, the biggest change in abortion regulation for women in Texas in years.

The bill approved Tuesday would require women to wait 24 hours after being provided with information about the medical risks of abortion and childbirth; photographs and descriptions of fetal development stages; and a listing of adoption agencies and other services for women who choose to have the baby.

It also would require abortions on women who are pregnant 16 weeks or more to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers or hospitals, instead of clinics.

Victims of rape and incest would be given information about emergency contraception such as the "morning-after pill" that if taken within 72 hours prevent pregnancies.

The bill also requires doctors to inform women of the liability of the father to pay child support, medical assistance available for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care.

"I think it's definitely a sign of the agenda of a socially conservative Legislature," countered Kae McLaughlin, executive director of the Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. "It's going to place a real hardship on women in communities that don't have abortion providers, with the 24-hour waiting period."

Abortion providers can be found in only 15 of Texas' 254 counties. The waiting period will be particularly difficult for women who have to travel, take time off work or find child care, McLaughlin said.

"It's going to be very difficult for women to find a place in Texas that will perform them," she said.