Alabama Legislator Seeks To Ban Abortion Procedure

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure would be illegal under a new bill filed in the Alabama legislature.

The House Health Committee on Wednesday held a public hearing on a bill which would prohibit “dismemberment abortion,” which medical professionals call dilation and evacuations or “D&E”.

The bill is similar to a law recently enacted in Mississippi.

State courts have struck down similar laws in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Republican Rep. Mack Butler, the bill’s sponsor, calls the procedure “barbaric.”

Elizabeth Potter Graham, an attorney who spoke in opposition of the bill, says it’s a “fundamental right” for women to be able to choose the procedure.

The committee closed without a vote but Butler says he expects it to be passed in committee next week.