Texas approved new rules this week requiring health care facilities that perform abortions to bury the fetal remains instead of disposing of them in a sanitary landfill like other forms of biological medical waste, ending months of contentious debate and dismaying abortion rights groups.

The rules, which go into effect on Dec. 19, mandate that aborted fetal tissue must be buried regardless of how long it has been gestating. The rules state it can either be buried directly after an abortion has been performed or it can be buried or scattered after it has been incinerated. Fetal remains can also be steam disinfected before burial, according to the guideline.

The rule was quietly proposed in July at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, according to The Texas Tribune, shortly after the Supreme Court struck down parts of a Texas law that could have sharply cut the number of abortion clinics in the state, particularly those outside large urban areas.

The Tribune reported in July that Mr. Abbott, a Republican, cited the proposal in a fund-raising email as evidence of his commitment to protect the “rights of the unborn” and “turn the tides” against abortion in the state.