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U.S. NEWSFriday 12 February 2016

Several states seek to block 2nd trimester abortion method

Anti-abortion activists rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas. Abortion opponents pieces from the uterus us- conception. To me, this is a
in Mississippi, West Virginia and several other states are filing bills to ban an abortion procedure ing instruments like clamps baby,” Mims said.
commonly used in the second trimester that opponents describe as dismembering a fetus. and forceps, calling that Similar bills are also be-
procedure a “dismember- ing filed in Idaho, Missouri,
(AP Photo/Eric Gay) ment abortion.” Minnesota and Nebraska,
Mary Balch, director of Balch said. Others are ex-
EMILY PETTUS providers in legal fights, cedures,” Kelly Baden, the state legislation for the an- pected in Kentucky, Michi-
JON MATTISE says banning the dilation center’s director of state ti-abortion group, said the gan, New Hampshire, New
Associated Press and evacuation method advocacy, said in a letter proposals would not ban Jersey, Rhode Island and
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — of abortion — commonly this week to West Virginia all dilation and evacuation South Carolina, said Jenni-
Abortion opponents in Mis- called “D&E” — is uncon- lawmakers. abortions. The law would fer Miller, spokeswoman for
sissippi, West Virginia and stitutional because it inter- Baden said dilation and still allow abortions in which the Center for Reproduc-
several other states are fil- feres with private medical evacuation is the safest the fetus is dead before it tive Rights.
ing bills to ban an abortion decisions. method for the second is extracted, which she said Mississippi has enacted
procedure commonly used “Laws like these are an at- trimester and is used for do not pose any greater several abortion restrictions
in the second trimester that tack on women’s health, about 95 percent of all health risk to the woman. in recent years, including
opponents describe as dis- personal autonomy, and second-trimester abortions The Center for Reproduc- banning abortions after 20
membering a fetus. the doctor-patient relation- in the U.S. tive Rights says it is not al- weeks’ gestation last year.
Courts have already ship, and they have the po- The Mississippi bill uses lan- ways medically necessary The U.S. Supreme Court lat-
blocked similar laws that tential to force physicians guage provided by the to induce fetal death be- er this year will consider the
Kansas and Oklahoma en- to subject women seeking Washington-based Nation- fore starting an abortion, constitutionality of a 2011
acted in 2015. safe and legal abortion al Right to Life Committee. and it’s never required be- Mississippi law that requires
The New York-based Cen- services in the second tri- It would prohibit any abor- fore 18 weeks, when most physicians at the state’s
ter for Reproductive Rights, mester to additional inva- tion that would involve women would be seek- only abortion clinic to ob-
which represents abortion sive and unnecessary pro- extracting a live fetus in ing abortions. The Ameri- tain admitting privileges at
can Congress of Obstetri- a local hospital. The physi-
cians and Gynecologists cians have been unable to
says there is no evidence obtain them, but the law
that inducing fetal death has been blocked by fed-
makes second-trimester eral courts.
abortions safer. If proposals Diane Derzis is the owner
such as those in Mississippi of the lone Mississippi abor-
become law, the Center tion clinic, Jackson Wom-
said a woman seeking a en’s Health Organization,
D&E abortion would have which does abortions up
to have an injection to to 15 weeks’ gestation. She
the fetus to stop its devel- said the state is inviting an-
opment before the pro- other expensive lawsuit by
cedure. Republican Rep. trying to ban a commonly
Sam Mims, chairman of used abortion method.
the Mississippi House Public “This is just another way of
Health Committee, is spon- attacking abortion,” Derzis
soring the proposal to ban said. “An entire, intact fe-
a procedure he calls “very tus is not the result of any
graphic.” abortion, so it affects all
“I believe that life begins at abortions.”
In West Virginia, Repub-
Federal trial again delayed in church shooting lican Sen. Ryan Ferns is
chairman of the Health
BRUCE SMITH death penalty. whether to seek the death Bruck told the judge there and Human Resources
Associated Press Dylann Roof, 21, faces doz- penalty in March or April. A won’t be a trial, just a guilty Committee that passed an
CHARLESTON, South Caro- ens of charges, including Justice plea, if the government de- amended version of the
lina (AP) — A judge on hate crimes, Department committee cides not to seek the death proposed ban on Thurs-
Thursday delayed the trial that makes recommenda- penalty. day. The changed bill says
of a white man charged in in the killings at Emanuel tions to the attorney gen- The federal case could be that second-trimester dila-
the shooting AME Church in Charleston eral on seeking the death heard before Roof’s trial in tion and evacuation pro-
deaths of nine black parish- last June. penalty has been review- state court on nine murder cedures are illegal unless
ioners at a South Carolina Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay ing the case. charges. the physician first “creates
church as attorneys wait Richardson told the judge The judge did not set a trial That trial, in which the state demise or death” of the
to see whether the federal during a status hearing that date. is seeking the death pen- fetus. It doesn’t apply to
government will seek the he expects the Justice De- Defense attorney David alty, starts in July.q emergency procedures. q
partment will decide on