By Brad Brooks

LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed a new law that restricts access to abortion-inducing medications, just weeks after the state rolled out a near-total ban on abortion procedures.

This law prohibits the use of mail-order abortion-inducing medications and states that doctors within Texas are allowed to only prescribe these drugs for seven weeks following conception. The previous restriction of 10 weeks was placed on medications.

Abbott wrote that Texas “continues to lead in protecting unborn children and cultivating a culture for life.” We took enormous steps to help babies avoid the horrors of abortion.

Texas has been at the forefront of abortion debate in America, having enacted the strictest abortion laws during the recent legislative sessions.

The new Texas law that prohibits abortions after detection of the fetal heartbeat was implemented on Sept. 1 and is effective for six weeks. According to abortion rights organizations, 85%- 90% of all abortions take place within six weeks.

Texas, a majority Republican-led state, has enacted heartbeat abortion bans. These prohibit the practice once rhythmic contractions of the fetal tissue are detected. This is often before the woman even realizes she’s pregnant. These bans were blocked by the courts.

However, the Texas law gives private citizens everywhere the right to sue anyone providing abortion services or assisting a woman with one. This helped to protect the law, as it made direct sues of the government more difficult.

On Thursday, Texas abortion providers asked for the U.S. Supreme Court’s urgent intervention in their dispute against a Texas law that prohibits abortion.