Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The law that bans federal funding for Medicaid coverage of most abortions is now in the spotlight some 40 years after it was passed by Congress, emerging as an election issue in the national debate over the procedure. First approved in 1976, and renewed annually ever since as part of the congressional appropriations process, the Hyde Amendment makes exceptions in cases of rape or incest, or when a pregnancy endangers a women's life. For most of its existence, the amendment had broad bipartisan support in Congress, but that's now changed. (Crary, 8 /16)

The chairman of the Texas Legislature's Women's Health Caucus urged the state auditor's office to investigate the awarding of a $1.6 million state grant to an anti-abortion group Monday. Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, said the Health and Human Services Commission's decision last week to award the Healthy Texas Women program's grant to the Round Rock-based Heidi Group funnels tax dollars to an unlicensed medical provider with a an anti-abortion agenda.  (Zelinski, 8/15)