Bill restricting abortions passes through senate committee

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ)- A bill that would ban certain types of abortions for pregnant women here in Kentucky has passed one of its final steps in Frankfort.

House bill 454, which would ban doctors from performing a common method of abortion on women more than 11 weeks pregnant, is now just steps away from becoming law.

The method in question is known as a D and E abortion.

It’s one of the more common methods used for second-trimester abortions, in which a doctor uses suction and surgical tools to remove the fetus.

Sponsors of the bill say the procedure breaks the human rights of an unborn child by what the bill calls “crushing” and “dismembering” the fetus.

But opponents of the bill say by taking away this commonly practiced method it puts an undue burden on a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.

“I’m very disappointed in the way that this went down. I think we all expected the outcome but not the silencing of our testimony of women of a medical provider,” said Tamarra Wieder with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Kentucky.

“This particular procedure that is gruesome that is brutal that is the bodily dismemberment of a human child is just one procedure that is not going to be on the table offered to them. There are other means for them to obtain an abortion should they choose to terminate their pregnancy but this is just unacceptable,” said Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence.

This bill has an emergency clause meaning if passed by the full senate and signed by Governor Bevin, it would become law immediately.