HOUSTON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Republican-led Texas, the second largest U.S. state in terms of land area and population, is trying to move full steam towards further conservative rights legally and politically.

A total of 666 new laws went into effect on Wednesday in the state, including highly controversial ones such as allowing anyone above the age of 21 to carry handguns without a permit or any training, and prohibiting any abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

One day earlier, the state's Republican-led legislature eventually passed a restrictive voting legislation after a stand-off with agonized Democrats. Though the bill won't immediately become law, laws taking effect Wednesday already ban Texans from registering using a post office box as address and make it harder to apply for a mail-in ballot for medical reasons.

"The Texas Republican Party has an agenda that it is pushing. The legislation taking effect today such as the abortion bill and the permitless handgun law are cornerstones of that agenda," said Paul Fabrizio, professor of political science with McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.

"Their aim is to take Texas to a more conservative place, with few restrictions on guns and businesses while maintaining much stricter control over abortion and public school curriculum," said the professor.

Other red states also passed legislation for conservative priorities this year, but none is "as big as Texas", the U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) reported.

PERMISSIVE ABORTION LAW

Texas' new abortion law, reportedly the most restrictive one in the country, prohibits abortions once cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, which can happen as early as about six weeks before many women are aware they are pregnant.

The fetal heartbeat law makes no exceptions for medical emergencies and pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. Furthermore, it allows most U.S. citizens, no matter where they live, to file lawsuits against abortion providers who they think infringed on the policy.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday called the Texas law "extreme", saying it "blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade," the U.S. Supreme Court's decision adopted in 1973 legalizing abortion in the country.

"This extreme Texas law ... will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes," Biden said in a statement, vowing to protect and defend Roe v. Wade.

PERMITLESS GUN CARRY

Under the "constitutional carry" gun law which also went into effect on Wednesday, people who legally own a handgun can carry it openly or concealed in Texas with no permits or training required.

Previously, Texans had to be licensed to carry a handgun. To obtain such a license, they had to submit their fingerprints, receive four to six hours of training, complete and pass a written exam and a shooting proficiency test, whereas all these procedures are now abandoned.

Texas may return to its Wild West past, or even worse, some gun control advocates in the state lamented.

"Constitutional carry means anyone can carry a gun, and we cannot question them, which should be a problem to everyone," said President of the Houston Police Officers' Union Douglas Griffith.

"It is allowing those untrained individuals to walk around with a firearm. It is detrimental to the entire public," said Griffith.

A poll released in April by the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune showed that nearly 60 percent of Texans oppose permitless carry.

RACE THEORY BAN

Another law effective from Wednesday in Texas bans the teaching of critical race theory in schools though without ever naming it. The issue is hot in recent years during the so-called "Culture War" between Republicans and Democrats in Washington and across the country.

The new state law is aimed at teaching complex subjects such as slavery and racism without making white children feel guilty, said Republican state lawmaker Steve Toth.

"We need to teach about the ills, but you can't blame this generation," Toth said. "Kids are being scapegoated."

Nikki Jones, who teaches African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR that teaching critical race theory is a way to help students understand how race has been used to influence laws in the United States.

OTHER BANS

Also from Wednesday, protesters in Texas could face felony charges for blocking a roadway or entrance to a hospital. Some Texas Democrats said that the new penalty is too severe.

Another new law would ban homeless encampments across the state, making it illegal to set up shelter or store belongings for an extended period of time. The offenders may face a fine of up to 500 U.S. dollars.

"The (Texas) GOP agenda is an activist agenda, driven by a conservative ideology," professor Fabrizio told Xinhua.

However, "laws passed by the Texas legislature can still be challenged by state and federal courts. Voter loyalty to the GOP might depend on the results of legislation passed. Do Texans really want abortions limited to the first six weeks of fetal life? Do they want gun ownership to be less controlled? Do they want the state politicians to control what their children learn in schools about race?" Fabrizio asked.

"Whether the GOP will be successful in maintaining their hold on power and pushing through their agenda is a question still to be answered," said the professor.

The south central U.S. state has more than 29.1 million residents in 2020. As a red state for almost 30 years, its demographics are changing with more and more immigrants from other states and countries moving in and a relatively slow growth of its white population. Enditem

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