Second-Trimester Abortion Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

House Passes Bill Banning Common Second-Trimester Abortion Technique

Members of the House of Delegates passed a bill that would ban a commonly used second-trimester abortion method.

Senate Bill 10 passed 86 to 13 in the House Monday.

This bill bans dilation and evacuation, or D&E, abortions. It allows those procedures to take place, however, in cases of medical emergencies. Some OBGYNs have testified before lawmakers that the bill takes away one of the safest options for women and interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.

The bill was on third reading with pending amendments Monday.

One amendment, offered by Del. Nancy Guthrie, a Democrat from Kanawha County, would have added a provision to allow for an elective D&E abortion if a woman was a victim of incest or rape if the rape is reported to a law-enforcement agency.

However, Del. Patrick Lane, a Republican from Kanawha County, pointed out that this provision was already covered in the bill, and the amendment was rejected on a role call vote of 16 to 82.

Senate Bill 10 now goes to the governor for consideration.

House Begins Discussion Over Abortion Bill

The House of Delegates is just beginning its work on a bill that would ban one of the nation’s most commonly used second-trimester abortion methods.

As approved in the Senate, Senate Bill 10 would ban what are commonly referred to as dismemberment abortions. That ban is only when the abortion is elective, not in cases of medical emergencies. Discussion over the bill began with a public hearing Monday morning.

Senate Bill 10 would ban what are medically known as dilation and evacuation abortions in West Virginia. While physicians say D&E abortions are common across the country, testimony given before the state Senate said those abortions is actually rare in West Virginia. Physicians also testified it is one of the safest abortion options.

But during a public hearing on the bill Monday morning, 5 people spoke in favor of banning the practice, calling the technique gruesome.

Senate Bill 10 requires doctors performing these types of abortions euthanize the fetus before dismemberment. Delegate Joe Ellington is the House’s Health Committee Chair, and he’s also a practicing OBGYN.

“There’s pros and cons to both sides of it,” Ellington said, “One part is terminating a fetus that’s alive before it is extracted by the procedure that the sponsors are trying to eliminate. It does affect the standard of care that’s currently in place with the medical profession. From an obstetrician’s standpoint, I’m going to have to balance that with what the proponents are willing to try to do.”

Members of the House Health Committee could take up Senate Bill 10 as soon as Tuesday.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Senate OK's Ban on 2nd Trimester Abortion Method

A second-trimester abortion method would be banned in many instances under a bill that has passed the West Virginia Senate.

Senators voted 24-9 in favor of banning the commonly used abortion practice Wednesday.

Courts have already blocked similar bans that Kansas and Oklahoma enacted in 2015.

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

There would be no criminal or civil penalties, but physicians could potentially lose their medical licenses.

Democratic Sen. Ron Stollings, a physician, said he couldn’t vote to ban the safest second-trimester abortion method.

With Senate passage, the bill heads to the House of Delegates.