Opponents of Texas ban on most abortions expand challenges

CHICAGO (AP) — Opponents of a new Texas ban on most abortions have asked a federal judge in Illinois to declare the law unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday. Courts have for weeks thwarted abortion providers’ efforts to block the nation’s most restrictive abortion law. The latest legal challenge comes as the Biden administration waits for a federal judge in Austin, Texas, to rule on a request to halt the law known as Senate Bill 8. It bans abortions in Texas once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks. A hearing was held in that case last week but no timetable on a decision has been announced.