Rewire: Kentucky Republicans Ignore Court Decisions, Ban Common Abortion Procedure
The House of Representatives in Kentucky passed a bill forbidding abortion after 11 weeks. This will likely be met with legal challenges if it’s signed into law. Across the United States, many states are looking to restrict abortion access and reproductive rights. Ohio lawmakers introduced a total abortion ban, Mississippi now has a law that bans abortion after 15 weeks making it the strictest in the country, Indiana is requiring abortion providers to report abortion complications to the state, and Nebraska introduced a bill that would prevent state funds from going to clinics.
The Kentucky legislature on Tuesday gave final approval for a ban on the most common type of second trimester abortion care, as similar laws have been blocked by federal and state courts.
Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) voted against the bill and argued that states that pass this anti-choice legislation face significant litigation cost, reported theLouisville Courier Journal.
“This bill is going to cost taxpayers a load of money and it’s clearly unconstitutional,” Marzian said.
HB 454, sponsored by Rep. Addia Wuchner (R-Florence), prohibits a physician from performing an abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation (D and E), the most common method of performing second-trimester abortions. The provisions were based on copycat legislation drafted by the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-choice organization that has lobbied GOP lawmakers in eight states to pass similar bills.
