Victory: Kentucky Legislature votes to ban dismemberment abortions

UPDATED: On Tuesday, the Kentucky House voted 75-13 to ban dismemberment abortions, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.

Less than two weeks after the Kentucky House passed a bill banning dismemberment (D&E) abortions by a vote of 71-11, the state Senate has passed it as well. A D&E (dilation and evacuation) dismemberment abortion typically takes place between weeks 13 and 24 of pregnancy (the second trimester), and it does exactly what it says: brutally dismembers a yet-living child in the womb before removing and accounting for all the body parts to ensure a complete abortion.

2nd Trimester Surgical Abortion: Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported yesterday that House Bill 454 was approved in the Senate by a vote of 31-5, also noting, “The procedure was used in 537 of the 3,312 abortions performed in Kentucky in 2016, according to state records.” That’s 16 percent of the total abortions in the state. According to Reuters, the bill will now go back to the House “for final approval of changes to a version of the bill it passed 71-11 vote on March 12.”

Kentucky has long been in a battle to protect life and hold the abortion industry accountable for flouting the law. As Live Action News’ Danny David previously reported, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is pro-life “and has taken significant action in support of life during his time in office. In 2016, Bevin’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services filed suit against Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky for operating an unlicensed abortion facility, committing 23 abortions, and endangering women’s health during that time.”

READ: Kentucky governor sues Planned Parenthood for performing illegal abortions

David also notes that “In January of 2017, Bevin quickly signed into law a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.” Bevin later blasted the state’s attorney general who claimed he would refuse to defend the law if the 20-week abortion ban was challenged.

According to the Endowment for Human Development, which partnered with National Geographic to produce a film on prenatal development, “Eight weeks after conception, except for the small size, the developing human’s overall appearance and many internal structures closely resemble the newborn.” In other words, a D&E dismemberment abortion would be committed well past this time frame. As previously noted, by 13-14 weeks, the baby’s body is touch-sensitive. By weeks 15-20, the baby has developed sweat glands and functioning digestive enzymes and has hormonal stress responses.

A D&E abortion dismembers and kills a highly sensitive and highly complex individual human being.