Abortion recedes from spotlight in Texas’ primary election

By PAUL J. WEBER
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Abortion isn’t taking center stage in Texas’ first-in-the-nation primary. The March 1 primary will mark six months that Texas clinics have operated under a law that bans abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. The restrictions are the toughest in the nation but both Republican and Democratic candidates alike are largely emphasizing other issues as voting is already underway in Texas. Many believe the abortion issue will return to the spotlight in the general election campaign, when candidates are facing the opposing party rather than like-minded competitors from their own, and after the Supreme Court decides whether to weaken the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that guarantees the right to an abortion.