The Latest Breaking News from Erin Zwiener

The average age of Texans last year was 37, while the Legislature’s average age was 55. Hurdles to voting and the unique challenges young candidates encounter fuel the mismatch.

State Representative Erin Zwiener says Texas must improve campaign finance transparency and adopt contribution limits.

Mexico decriminalized abortion in September – nine months before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Now Mexican activists, who for years looked to the US as a beacon of abortion rights, are helping their northern neighbours in a stark turnaround of fortunes, writes Sheila Flynn

Advocates and politicians say they hope Texas’ ban on abortion will motivate voters. But they say they’ll need to emulate the strategies of the anti-abortion movement to reach long-term success.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s decision to reverse long-standing precedent under Roe v. Wade will fuel lawmakers, state officials and the Biden administration as they race to reshape abortion laws nationwide, though the onus now will largely be on the states.

The coasts are set to become de facto safe havens for access to abortion, while much of the South and Midwest will become abortion deserts.

New Mexico is expected to become a “haven state” where abortion remains legal and largely accessible. That state has six abortion clinics and is gearing up for an influx of patients. The nearest clinic there is a 12-hour drive from Houston and a 10-hour drive from Dallas.

In a calm residential neighborhood, 15 minutes from the center of Monterrey, Mexico, on the second floor of their house, Sandra Cardona and Vanessa Jimenez created an abortion sanctuary.