Texas bill clarifying when doctors can perform life-saving abortions wins early House vote

(The Texas Tribune) -- The House voted 129-6 on Wednesday to preliminarily approve a bill to clarify Texas’ near-total abortion ban, after it passed the Senate unanimously last month. Despite wide bipartisan support for the bill, some conservative lawmakers raised concerns about whether this would create a loophole allowing doctors to “rubber stamp” otherwise prohibited abortions.Bill sponsor Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican from Fort Worth, stressed that this was not a “