Gov. Rick Perry says Texas abortion bill constitutional

WEST, Texas -- Gov. Rick Perry says the abortion bill awaiting his signature to become Texas law is constitutional and will withstand court challenges by those who oppose it.

Perry told reporters Saturday, hours after the bill passed, that "we wouldn't have passed it if we didn't think it was constitutional."

He said he had no timetable for signing the bill, but a spokesman for the Republican governor said it could be signed midweek.

Perry said some say the measure goes too far "but most Texans don't."

Democrats promised a legal challenge.

The law will ban abortions after 20 weeks, require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and require all abortions to be done in surgical centers.

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