On Tuesday, Governor Brownback signed into law a ban on a certain type of abortion. Wichita has drawn attention from all sides of the abortion debate since Dr. George Tiller, who performed late-term abortions, was murdered in 2009. KMUW's Aileen LeBlanc reports...
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has signed legislation making Kansas the first state to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure that critics describe as dismembering a fetus.
Brownback signed the measure Tuesday in a private ceremony at the governor's residence. A photo posted by his office on Twitter shows him flanked by anti-abortion leaders and large photos of fetuses.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, bans the use of forceps, clamps, scissors and other instruments on a fetus prior to removal during a dilation and evacuation procedure.
Known as "dismemberment abortion," the method is commonly used in second-trimester abortions nationwide and in about 9 percent of the abortions in Kansas. Abortion-rights supporters say the method is sometimes the safest for a woman terminating her pregnancy.
The National Right to Life Committee drafted the measure. Similar measures are being considered in other states.
Trust Women has released the following press release: