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A federal magistrate in San Francisco says the American Civil Liberties Union can proceed with a nationwide suit challenging government contracts to religious organizations that provide care for minors who enter the United States on their own but deny them access to abortion or contraception. The ACLU says it has received reports that between 60 and 80 percent of unaccompanied young women crossing the border have been raped or sexually assaulted. (Egelko, 12/2)

New Texas rules requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains are likely to face a court challenge before taking effect, an abortion-rights attorney said Friday, months after the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down sweeping abortion restrictions in the state. The new regulations, which the state plans to implement starting Dec. 19, are the latest battleground in Texas over abortion and would prohibit facilities from continuing to dispose of fetal remains as biological medical waste. Lawsuits this year blocked similar measures in Louisiana and Indiana, where the law was signed in March by governor and now Vice President-elect Mike Pence. (Weber, 12/2)