Texas state Democratic Senators (from L-R) Sylvia Garcia, Wendy Davis and Kirk Watson acknowledge abortion rights protesters as they leave the Senate floor after failing to prevent the passage of legislation restricting abortion rights in Austin, Texas, on July 12. The Republican-controlled Texas Senate passed a bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, ending a political battle that stirred national debate over what critics see as laws threatening the right to abortion in the US. Reuters/Mike Stone