Texas abortion bill vote 'came too late to pass' 26 June 2013 Last updated at 11:13 A vote on a new law which could close most of the abortion clinics in the US state of Texas came too late to pass, leading Republicans now say. The senate had approved the bill, which bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and requires all procedures to take place in surgical centres. But Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst later confirmed that the vote had not met a midnight deadline. The bill has already been passed by the Texas House of Representatives The senate vote took place despite attempts by Democrats to delay it. A Democratic senator tried to stand speaking for long enough to prevent voting on the bill, but was stopped after 10 hours when the chairman ruled she had gone off topic. Safety standards However, the lieutenant governor said the decision came too late. Senator Wendy Davis had to stay on topic and remain standing over the 10 hour period "Regrettably, the constitutional time for the 83rd Legislature had expired," local television quoted Mr Dewhurst as saying. Senate Bill 5 cannot be signed in the presence of the senate at this time, and therefore cannot be enrolled. He reportedly hinted that the vote could be held again at a second special session. Supporters of the bill say the measures will improve safety standards. It requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The new law would reportedly mean only five of Texas' 42 abortion clinics would be able to remain in operation. Opponents say this will force women to travel hundreds of miles or resort to dangerous methods to obtain a procedure. Abortion in the US Twelve states have already passed 20-week bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute Courts have blocked bans in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia and Idaho. In March, North Dakota banned abortion after a foetal heartbeat is detected, which can be at six weeks. The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to limit abortions to the first 20 weeks, but it will not be passed by the Senate. Abortion rights supporters wearing orange t-shirts gathered in the public gallery to protest against the bill. Democrats had said they were considering a legal challenge against a vote to pass the law. It is the latest challenge by state legislature to a 1973 ruling by the US Supreme Court that abortion was legal until the foetus could survive outside the womb. In March, North Dakota banned abortions once a foetal heartbeat is detected - as early as six weeks - in the most restrictive law of its kind in the US, The measures, which take effect on 1 August, make no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother. Opponents plan to appeal against them. But a federal appeals court struck down an Arizona law that bans abortions from 20 weeks' gestation in May, saying it violated the Supreme Court rulings.