Texas abortion fight inspires activists

The victory of Texas abortion-rights activists may be shortlived -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced he would reconvene lawmakers next week to vote again on the measure -- but it is rallying people across the country on both sides of the issue.

Politico: Texas Abortion Fight A Rallying Cry
A late-night Lone Star State showdown that stopped an abortion bill in its tracks galvanized people on both sides of the battles that are raging in states -- fights that could eventually land in the Supreme Court (Glueck, 6/26).

Los Angeles Times: Texas Sen. Wendy Davis' Abortion Filibuster Galvanizes Activists
Wendy Davis' filibustered victory, which ricocheted around the world via social media, may prove short-lived. Gov. Rick Perry announced Wednesday he would reconvene the Legislature on Monday in a second and likely successful attempt to pass the measure. But the celebrity Davis garnered and the passions the Fort Worth Democrat ignited -- at one point she generated 6,000 Tweets a minute with the hashtag #StandWithWendy -- may prove longer lasting (Hennessy-Fiske and Barabak, 6/26).

In other news about state efforts to restrict abortions --

North Carolina Health News: Bill Will Require Middle-Schoolers To Be Taught About Causes Of Pre-Term Birth
After a contentious debate on the House floor, North Carolina lawmakers tentatively voted to require middle school teachers to instruct their students on the top five causes of preterm birth, and tell them that one of those causes is having had an abortion (Hoban, 6/27).

Des Moines Register: 14 Iowa Medical Professionals Protest 'Webcam' Abortions
Iowa doctors would be required to perform a physical examination of a pregnant woman before providing abortion-inducing pills under proposed state regulations sought by 14 Iowa medical professionals. The medical professionals, including Dr. Susan Beck of Clive, made the request in a petition for rule-making filed Tuesday with the Iowa Board of Medicine. The petition is aimed at halting the use of videoconferencing by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, in which doctors based in Des Moines prescribe and remotely distribute abortion-inducing drugs to women in rural Iowa communities (Petroski, 6/27).