Kansas Limits Abortion Method
Kansas has become the first state to restrict or alter the most common technique that is used for second-trimester abortions. This could potentially open up a new and emotionally charged line of attack by anti-abortion forces.
The bill has been signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback. Gov. Brownback has been a long-time opponent of abortion and has taken this step to outlaw “dismemberment abortion” which can be defined as “knowingly dismembering a living unborn child and extracting such unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus.”
As per the law, the method of dilation and evacuation, which is commonly used in abortions after the 12th to 14th week of pregnancy will be banned or altered.
Doctors consider this technique to be the safest and most convenient for women. The cervix is dilated with medication and the fetus is removed with forceps. However, there are groups that have voiced their concern about the procedure as it often removes the fetus in parts.
“The Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act is the first of what we hope will be many state laws banning dismemberment abortions,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “This law has the power to transform the landscape of abortion policy in the United States.”
A similar bill is expected to be passed in Oklahoma and has been proposed in Missouri, South Carolina and South Dakota. However, there are groups such as the Trust Women Foundation and the South Wind Women’s Center that are planning to challenge the law in court on the grounds that it is unconstitutional and results in physician intimidation and criminalization. According to Laura McQuade of Planned Parenthood, Kansas would be the sole state to have such a law and will also become the state which has more restrictions on abortion than any other state in the US.
Approximately 9 in 10 abortions are performed in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy and do not use this technique but around 9 percent of abortions in Kansas would be affected by the Kansas law.
Dr. Kathleen Morrel, a gynecologist and obstetrician in New York points out that alternative techniques of abortion in the second trimester could be more dangerous for women and can also involve more waiting time and access to hospital facilities. These include medically induced, nonsurgical abortions.
The new Kansas law does not include any exemptions for rape or incest. The only exemption is the preservation of a woman’s life to prevent irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Any physicians who violate this law could be charged with misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony for successful violations.