Arizona Abortion Bill: Senate Reportedly Passes Late-Term Termination Ban
The Arizona state Senate on Tuesday voted to ban most abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to news reports.
The bill was passed by a mostly party-line 20-to-10 vote in the Republican-dominated Senate, Capitol Media Services reported.
Only one Republican joined the body's nine Democrats to oppose the measure, which now goes to Arizona's House of Representatives for consideration.
The bill marks the latest salvo in the long-running national battle over late-term abortions.
Six states in the past two years have enacted late-term abortion bans based on controversial medical research suggesting a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions nationwide in 1973 but allowed states to ban the procedure, unless it risked the woman's health, after the time when the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb. (Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Steve Gorman)
The bill was passed by a mostly party-line 20-to-10 vote in the Republican-dominated Senate, Capitol Media Services reported.
Only one Republican joined the body's nine Democrats to oppose the measure, which now goes to Arizona's House of Representatives for consideration.
The bill marks the latest salvo in the long-running national battle over late-term abortions.
Six states in the past two years have enacted late-term abortion bans based on controversial medical research suggesting a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions nationwide in 1973 but allowed states to ban the procedure, unless it risked the woman's health, after the time when the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb. (Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Steve Gorman)
