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Texas Lawmaker Scraps Bill Naming Judges Who Grant Teen Abortions

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A Texas lawmaker is scrapping his effort to reveal the names of judges who permit teens to have abortions if they can't get the required consent from their parents, in favor of an even stricter measure.

State law allows judges to grant abortions to girls younger than 18 in extreme cases, but most information on those cases remains confidential.

Republican Rep. Ron Simmons' bill would have changed that. Critics said it would have further politicized judges' elections.

But Simmons pulled his proposal Wednesday. He is instead supporting a bill making broader changes to so-called "judicial bypass." That one is set for debate before the House soon.

Rep. Matt Krause, who also had a separate bill to tighten judicial bypass, also pulled his measure in favor of the more-sweeping one.

Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock.com