Abortion has long been a hot button issue, and with its more recent widespread acceptance, the battleground has turned to the more conservative southern states. Now, Texas Republicans are attempting to pass a state measure that would enact some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country.

The bill, which was passed by the House on Monday after a grueling session that started on Sunday, now goes to the state Senate for a vote. Among other restrictions, the measure would place a ban on abortions for women who are more than 20 weeks into their pregnancy.

"Sadly, too often today the back-alley abortion is the abortion clinic because the standards for providers and the facilities are too lax or substandard," the measure's House sponsor, Representative Jodie Laubenberg, said on Monday. "This bill will assure that women are given the highest standard of healthcare."

Though it was able to pass the House, Democrats there were able to score a minor victory. They delayed the proceedings for as long as possible in order to stall the vote, forcing Republicans to race to get it approved in the Senate. The state's legislative session ends Tuesday, and if the measure does not get passed by then, it will effectively die.

"If this passes, abortion would be virtually banned in the state of Texas, and many women could be forced to resort to dangerous and unsafe measures," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the late former Texas governor Ann Richards.

Opponents of the bill claim that should it be signed into law, it would shut down 37 out of the 42 abortion clinics in the state, leaving large areas completely devoid of any place to perform abortions. When asked about the possibility of an exemption for the victims of rape, the bill's founder did not mince her words.

"In the emergency room they have what's called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out," said Laubenberg, comparing the procedure to an abortion. "The woman had five months to make that decision, at this point we are looking at a baby that is very far along in its development."

There was initially some confusion over that statement, as the "rape kits" Laudenberg referred to are used only to evaluate whether or not someone has been raped, and do not fight the possibility of pregnancy. Still, that mixing of words did little to deter the bill's proponents, who passed the measure easily by a count of 95-34. Governor Rick Perry will have to sign the bill into law today at the latest in order for the Republicans to score a victory.