Jon Herskovitz/Reuters
A federal appeals court gave Texas permission to fully enforce a sweeping abortion law that would effectively close all but seven abortion facilities in America's second-most populous state. Just two years ago, Texas had 41 abortion facilities, but many have already closed under a provision of the law that requires doctors who perform abortions to obtain hospital admitting privileges. This latest ruling means at least a dozen remaining clinics are set to shutter as well. Republican Governor Rick Perry signed the law last year, but in August a lower court blocked requirements of the law that say clinics must meet hospital-level operating standards to stay in business. The appeals court's decision wipes out that fleeting victory for abortion-rights groups. The ruling is only a stay pending a full appeal, but the court wrote that Texas is likely to prevail. If the state does, the clinics would have to make costly upgrades to new standards and reopen.