Kentucky passes bill banning abortion after 20 weeks
Kentucky lawmakers have voted in favor of a bill that will ban abortion after 20 weeks. The bill successfully cleared both the Kentucky state House and Senate, and was then sent to Governor Matt Bevin, who quickly signed it into law. Thanks to an emergency clause written into the bill, it will be effective immediately.
Unlike many late-term abortion bans, this bill will not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Abortions after 20 weeks will only be permitted if the mother’s life is in danger, and excludes mental illness. In December, Ohio also passed a 20-week abortion ban, becoming the 18th state in the country to do so. In addition to banning abortion after 20 weeks, Kentucky’s bill would also, according to the AP, “require women to have an ultrasound by a doctor or technician prior to having an abortion” and “must also include a detailed description of the fetus and playing the fetal heartbeat.” However, the AP notes that “[w]omen are not required to watch the ultrasound and can request to have the volume of the heartbeat turned down.”
Predictably, the abortion lobby was furious about the passing of this bill:
In addition to public support for 20-week abortion bans, legislators who vote in favor of them are also on the side of science. We know now that preborn babies can feel pain by 20 weeks, although it may be much sooner. And that makes second trimester abortions — such as a dilation and evacuation procedure, outlined here by former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino — even more horrific:
Late-term abortions are cruel and are never necessary. These Kentucky lawmakers should be applauded for protecting the lives of preborn babies, as well as their mothers, from having to undergo such a violent, barbaric act.
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