Arkansas House votes to restrict 2nd trimester abortion procedure

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas would become the third state in the nation to ban a common second trimester abortion procedure under a measure approved by the House on Monday, a move opponents blasted as unconstitutional.

The majority-Republican House voted 78-10 to ban a procedure known dilation and evacuation, or “D&E,” a second trimester procedure that abortion supporters contend is the safest and most common. The measure now heads to the majority GOP Senate, and Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he supports the prohibition.

“This is a very gruesome, barbaric procedure. It is one that no civilized society should embrace and I would hope that we would say we’re not going to do it,” Republican Rep. Andy Mayberry told lawmakers before the vote. Mayberry is the president of Arkansas Right to Life, which calls the procedure “dismemberment abortion” and considers the ban its top legislative priority this year.

Mississippi and West Virginia have similar bans in effect. Similar prohibitions are on hold amid court challenges in other states. The state Department of Health said that in 2015, 683 of the 3,771 abortions performed in Arkansas were performed through D&E.

Read more: http://www.baxterbulletin.com/story/news/2017/01/24/arkansas-house-votes-restrict-nd-trimester-abortion-procedure/96990390/