Texas Judge Strikes Down Restrictive Abortion Law

The law was to take effect Monday.

A federal judge in Austin, Texas, blocked a stringent new rule yesterday that would have forced more than half of the state's remaining abortion clinics to close.

The rule, requiring all abortion clinics to meet the building standards of hospital-style surgery centers, was to take effect on Monday.

But in his opinion, Judge Lee Yeakel said the mandate placed an unconstitutional burden on a woman's right to an abortion.