New rules proposed for the Women’s Health Program drew protests from doctors groups. Five statewide groups objected to the provisions barring doctors from discussing abortion as an option with their patients. The state proposed new rules as part of their plan to take over the Women’s Health Program from the federal government and opened them up for public comment. 

The affirmative action case that will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in October prompted the defendant, the University of Texas, to file a brief defending its admissions policies. UT was sued by a white applicant, who claimed that race was the reason she didn’t get into the school in 2008. Lower courts sided with the university, but Abigail Noel Fisher continued her appeal to the highest court, which agreed to hear the case. UT justified its admissions procedures by outlining how many factors it takes into consideration in the admission process. President Bill Powers released a video statement in support of the policy, calling it a tool to make the student body more diverse.

A new study by a University of Texas geophysicist blames the increase in North Texas earthquakes on fracking. The seismic activity is linked to the disposal of water used in the drilling process. Deep wells used for disposal can be as far underground as 13,000 feet and can cause the ground to shift along fault lines. Earthquakes in the Barnett Shale area, where fracking has become a prevalent form of oil and gas production, have increased in frequency, although their magnitude is relatively small. The study’s author, Cliff Frohlich, pointed out that the benefits of fracking may outweigh the increased earthquakes, and urged cooperation on finding a potential solution to the problem.

In spite of a test showing his IQ to be only 61, Texas executed Marvin Wilson for the murder of a police informant in 1992. Competency is usually considered to be 70. State attorneys argued that the test was one of many and shouldn’t be the defining word in an assessment of whether Wilson would be eligible for the death penalty. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the execution to proceed in spite of its 2002 ruling that outlawed the death penalty for mentally impaired prisoners.