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Imagine for a second that MPs had just voted to close nearly 90 per cent of abortion clinics across the UK, and that the law henceforth bans you from terminating a pregnancy after 20 weeks, even if you've been raped.

That's the current state of play in one state in America, land of the not-so free.

The Texas House of Representatives has passed legislation ending abortion after 20 weeks and closing all but five abortion clinics. At time of writing, they've also scuppered an amendment which would have allowed rape victims access to abortion.

The bill adds to a sense that American women are increasingly losing the battle to control their own reproductive systems. Research by the Guttmacher Institute found that there were 3000 abortion clinics in the early 1990s, and just 1800 today. If the Texan bill becomes law it will continue the insidious trend.

There's a weird contradiction at work here. America's apparently becoming more liberal on gay rights and less so on women's rights.

My Telegraph colleague Tim Stanley believes religious fervour is behind the seeming contradiction.

Young conservatives see support for gay rights in biblical terms as an example of loving thy neighbour. That same religious code works in reverse when it comes to abortion rights - loving the unborn child by protecting its right to life.

Perhaps that explains why, when the former president George W Bush surprised commentators by warning against criticising gay couples, he also invoked the bible.

The shift on gay rights has given liberals cause for celebration. But when it comes to abortion, pro-choicers seem increasingly powerless to mould opinion.

That's not for want of trying.

Model citizen Sarah Slamen won the admiration of many with her "badass" speech on the Texas abortion bill.

How long ago it seems since the former US senator Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" remarks cost him his seat in last year's election - and, because of what he and others had to say on women's rights, contributed to the Republicans' failure to oust Barack Obama from the White House.

Is there a danger that now America's sneezed, Britain will catch a cold? David Cameron has spoken of his pride in his gay marriage bill - a bill that has overcome the opposition of many of his own MPs. But the Prime Minister and key members of his cabinet have, as in the US, backed gay rights at the same time as advocating more limited abortion rights.

I'm not arguing for a minute that terminating a pregnancy is something that should ever be taken lightly. I know from personal experience - and I've blogged about this before - how hard many women agonise before having an abortion. But I also know from personal experience how reducing the limit or reducing access to abortions is nowhere near as simple as legislators in Texas seem to think it is. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10171401/American-women-a
re-losing-the-abortion-battle.-What-the-hell-is-going-on-in-Texas.html

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“I had some really eloquent remarks written out, but you guys have just worn me down all day,” Slamen began before raining fury upon the GOP senators.

“With all this terrible science, and glad-handing, and to be frank I get to move to New York next month, so I don’t have to live in fear of you Texas legislators anymore and what you’re going to do to my education system, or my healthcare system, ‘cause I’m going to a state that doesn’t kill its own inmates. That’s how pro-life it is, up there."

“I will thank you, though, first,” she continued.

“It was destiny that you would discriminate against us and try to force your way inside the bodies of Texas women. Thank you! For finally working against women so publicly, and not in the shadows like you’re used to. Thank you for every single bad press conference with your bad information. Thank you for every hateful statement degrading women and girls to sex objects, and brood mares, and bald eagles, and leather wallets, like your eloquent pro-life supporters have done today.”

“Thank you for being you, Texas legislature. You have radicalized hundreds of thousands of us. And no matter what you do for the next 22 days, women and their allies are coming for you. Let’s start down the line. Senator Campbell, you’re an ophthalmologist. So I won’t be making you the expert on reproductive health. We can give you all the children with chlamydia and herpes in their eyes, since we don’t have Sex Ed in this state.”

At that point, GOP Senator Jane Nelson interrupted Slamen, accused her of being disrespectful to senators, and had her hauled out of the chamber by state troopers. As she was being cheered on her way out, Slamen loudly proclaimed:

“This is a farce. The Texas legislature is a bunch of liars. It’s a low bar that you hold yourself to that you simply allowed us to speak.”

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