A panel of the US 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans ruled on Thursday that Texas can begin to enforce restrictions that pro-choice advocates say will force all but seven clinics in the state to close.

The restrictions demand that clinics spend millions of dollars on hospital-level upgrades. While conservatives - including the state's Republican governor, Rick Perry - say the changes are aimed at women's health, opponents say they are an attempt to preventing terminations from taking place.

Abortion rights campaigners described Thursday as "a devastating day for Texas women."

Would-be governor Davis prevented the law from being passed, but only temporarily

The court's decision ignores the medical experts, who have recognized that these laws hurt women, not help them," said Jennifer Dalven, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Concurring with the pro-choice lobby, US District Judge Lee Yeakel had ruled in August that the requirements were less about safety than making access to abortion difficult - suspending that part of the law. Yeakel said at the time that the requirements "placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions."

The subsequent New Orleans ruling means that - while the federal appeals court weighs the constitutionality of the law - the state of Texas can press ahead with enforcing the rules.

Democrat Wendy Davis launched a campaign for governor after gaining notoriety for her 13-hour filibuster, which blocked the bill from being passed in the state Senate.

rc/jm (Reuters, AP)