Tomblin Vetoes Ban on Second Trimester Abortion Method

A West Virginia push to ban a second-trimester abortion method has been vetoed.

Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on Wednesday nixed the measure that would ban the commonly used abortion practice.

He cited concerns about constitutionality and patient safety. Courts blocked similar bans that Kansas and Oklahoma enacted in 2015.

The Republican-led Legislature passed the bill alongside some Democrats.

Lawmakers can override the veto with a simple majority of both chambers.

The bill would ban dilation and evacuation method abortions unless the doctor already had caused demise of the fetus. It wouldn’t ban the method in cases of medical emergency.

There wouldn’t be criminal or civil penalties, but physicians could potentially lose their medical licenses.

Last year, lawmakers overrode Tomblin’s veto of a ban on abortions 20 weeks after conception.