Texas paid $500,000 for experts in abortion law challenges
Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton speaks to members of the media as Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller (R) listens in front of the U.S. Supreme Court April 18, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A newspaper review has found the Texas Attorney General's Office has spent $500,000 to defend the state's recent abortion restrictions with expert court testimony that has mostly been given little or no weight by judges.
The Houston Chronicle reports the attorney general's office has paid 21 expert witnesses to testify in legal challenges to a string of abortion laws and regulations enacted since 2013.
In dismissing the testimony of some of the state's experts, judges said they lacked medical or scientific credentials or were simply expressing personal opinions.
Marc Rylander, a spokesman for Attorney General Ken Paxton, said the attorney general's office picks "an array of highly qualified and esteemed experts -- some with pro-choice views."
Rylander didn't provide the newspaper with the names of state witnesses with abortion-rights views.
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
AP-WF-07-08-18 1804GMT