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A Controversial Law - Amid weeks of protests from dissenters, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed in to law on Thursday new abortion restrictions that could force most of the state's clinics that perform abortions to shut down this fall. Keep reading for a closer look at the law and its potential impact on the state's most vulnerable populations. — Britt Middleton (Photo: AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner)

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Perry Signs Sweeping Abortion Bill - The law limits abortions to surgical centers and requires doctors who work at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility, among other requirements. There are currently only five out of the 42 abortion clinics in the state that meet these new requirements. (Photo: Stewart F. House/Getty Images)

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The Long Fight - Abortion rights have remained a contentious issue in the nation's largest state. In 2011, Republican state lawmakers voted to block all funding from the state's Medicaid family planning program, known as the Women's Health Program, from Planned Parenthood clinics. One day before the new law's signing, the health care provider announced it would be closing three of its clinics in the state due to that 2011 measure. (Photo: Planned Parenthood)

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Lawmakers Fight for Women's Rights - Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis became an overnight sensation in late June after she staged a one-woman, nearly 12-hour long filibuster in an effort to kill the bill on the last day of the legislative session. Despite Davis successfully talking past the midnight deadline, Perry called state lawmakers back for a second special session last week, setting the course for the bill's final approval. (Photo: Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

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Restricting Care for the Most Needy - Now that the law has been ratified, many pro-choice advocates fear its negative impact on the state's most vulnerable populations, namely low-income individuals and minorities, who depend on these clinics for health care needs. Supporters have argued that by tightening regulation, women will receive higher quality health care.  (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

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Black Women and Abortion - Overall, African-American women have the highest unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates in the United States. In Texas, Black women make up about 27 percent of abortions performed in the state, coming in third to whites (30 percent) and Latinas (36 percent), according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. (Photo: Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Getty Images/STOCK

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Abortion Rates High Among Black Texas Teens - More troubling, however, are the reports that abortion among Black teens nationally are highest in the state of Texas: for every 1,000 pregnancies, there are 78 abortions among Black youth, topping all other ethnicities, according to a  2013 Guttmacher report. (Photo: Alistair Berg/Getty Images)

Photo By Alistair Berg/Getty Images

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Barring Access to Health Care - Writes BET.com's Kellee Terrell: "And so if the goal is to bring those numbers down, it doesn’t make sense to then close down clinics that can reduce unplanned pregnancies in our community. Not to mention, these clinics, which will be closed down, also screen for cancer and educate our community about STDs and HIV/AIDS. " (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Stone)