House members in West Virginia have held to their pro-life convictions with a bill that would outlaw abortions after 15 weeks.
QUICK FACTS:
- West Virginia takes a step toward outlawing abortion, as its House passes legislation that would ban abortions after 15 weeks.
- Republican delegates argued on the floor of the House of Delegates that “the baby can feel pain” in a compelling speech in support of their bill, according to MRCTV.
- According to the publication, the West Virginia legislation isn’t as harsh on the abortion industry as the Texas Heartbeat law, but it would rid the state of a large percentage of the medical procedures.
DEBATE ENSUED ABOUT THE UNBORN CAPACITY TO FEEL PAIN:
- Republican Delegate Adam Burkhammer said during a hearing, “If it was up to me, we would ban it outright.”
- The bill’s lead sponsor Republican Delegate Ruth Rowan argued for it, saying, “The baby can feel pain. The baby can feel that it’s being torn apart and aborted.”
- Huffington Post covered the legislation and argued that “extensive research shows that a fetus does not have the capacity to feel pain until 24 weeks into term. That’s also around when a fetus is considered to be potentially viable outside the womb.”
- However, a study from the Journal of Medical Ethics stated that both a pro-life and pro-choice doctor agreed that” fetal pain does exist in a gestational window of 12-24 weeks.”
BACKGROUND:
- In mid-2021 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “heartbeat” abortion bill that banned abortions once a heartbeat was detectable, which is typically around six weeks, as CNN reported.
- The state was one of several that put serious restrictions on the abortion industry, including Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, North Dakota, and a number of others, many of whom have been held up in court challenges.
- According to Newsweek, Six states, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota, and West Virginia, only have one abortion clinic left.
