Texas Governor Greg Abbott [official website] signed a series of abortion regulations into law on Tuesday. Senate Bill 8 [materials] will require the burial or cremation of fetal tissue and bans the donation of fetal tissue. The legislation also bans so called “partial-birth abortion,” which is already banned by federal law, as well as the dilation and evacuation procedure, a common second trimester abortion technique. Also Tuesday Abbott announced a special legislative session to take up additional abortion-related measures, as well as other controversial items such as the “bathroom bill.”

The US Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a controversial Texas abortion law in June. The court ruled [opinion, PDF] 5-3 in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt [SCOTUSblog materials] that HB2 [text], which imposed certain requirements on abortion clinics and doctors, created an undue burden on access to abortion, and was therefore unconstitutional. A Texas regulation requiring the burial of fetal remains has been blocked [JURIST report] by a federal judge.