West Virginia lawmakers introduce 15-week abortion ban

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia lawmakers person introduced a measure to prohibition termination aft 15 weeks — a connection astir identical to the Mississippi instrumentality presently nether reappraisal by the U.S. Supreme Court.

As the federation waits for the court to marque a determination aboriginal this twelvemonth successful the termination lawsuit that could overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, astatine slightest 2 states — West Virginia and Florida — person introduced bills mirroring Mississippi's.

Both the Florida and West Virginia bills would prohibit abortions aft 15 weeks but successful a aesculapian exigency oregon successful the lawsuit of a terrible fetal abnormality. Neither would supply exceptions for victims of rape oregon incest.

Republican Del. Ruth Rowan, pb sponsor of the West Virginia bill, told The Associated Press connected Tuesday that West Virginia has an work to support the unborn arsenic “a Christian authorities wherever radical attraction astir their families and their children.”

Rowan carries 2 wallet-sized photos astir with her successful the Capitol: One is of her 17-year-old grandson, a inferior astatine the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind; the different shows him successful a infirmary incubator erstwhile helium was calved aboriginal — astatine 28 weeks.

When Rowan's girl was pregnant, she said, doctors told her girl the gestation would beryllium risky and gave her immoderate options. Among them, they said, she could extremity her pregnancy. Rowan said the prime was clear. Years later, the household is grateful she decided to support him.

“He’s our miracle. He’s wherefore I’m truthful committed to what I’m doing close now,” Rowan said, speaking done tears during an interrogation connected the House floor. “Life is precious, and we request to respect that.”

Rowan said adoption is ever an enactment for women who don't privation to beryllium parents, saying “God has a crushed for each of our children."

Like Mississippi, determination is lone 1 installation successful West Virginia's authorities superior that performs abortions. That's down from 2014, erstwhile determination were 5 abortion-providing facilities successful West Virginia, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Katie Quinonez, enforcement manager of Women’s Health Center of West Virginia — the state's sole installation presently performing abortions — said the authorities would marque termination harder to entree successful a authorities wherever specified entree is already severely limited.

Current instrumentality successful West Virginia prohibits abortions aft 20 weeks and requires women to acquisition state-directed counseling and hold 24 hours earlier the process is provided. Parents indispensable beryllium notified earlier a insignificant receives an abortion.

As it is, women person trouble making the trek to Charleston to person an termination earlier 20 weeks due to the fact that West Virginia is simply a agrarian authorities without entree to robust nationalist transportation, according to Quinonez. Further restrictions would mean hundreds of radical would person to question retired of authorities for termination care, she said.

“Abortion bans, by default, are racist, are sexist, are rooted successful achromatic supremacy, peculiarly the exploitation of Black women and controlling women’s bodies and decisions," she said.

Quinonez said abortions restrictions autumn hardest connected radical who “are already marginalized by our healthcare systems.” She cited radical of color, young persons, low-income earners and radical who unrecorded successful agrarian areas.

“Our legislators should beryllium moving to grow entree to healthcare for those marginalized folks, not instrumentality their healthcare away," she said.

Quinonez said she had 2 abortions successful West Virginia — 1 erstwhile she was successful precocious schoolhouse astatine property 17 and the different astatine property 22.

During her archetypal pregnancy, she was dating an older antheral who was emotionally abusive. She wasn't capable to get her termination until aft 15 weeks. She said she had to effort to prevention wealth from her part-time pizzeria occupation to wage for the procedure.

"That’s wherefore this 15-week prohibition is peculiarly upsetting due to the fact that I conscionable retrieve myself arsenic a teen and however daunting that would person been to person been told, ‘Well, you person to question determination retired of authorities to get the attraction that you need,’ " she said. “I knew that I did not privation to beryllium a parent."

West Virginia's termination measure has cleared the House wellness committee and volition spell to the judiciary committee. If it passes the judiciary, it volition spell to the afloat House.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, astatine slightest 26 states are expected to person termination restrictions rapidly spell into effect oregon walk caller ones, said Kristin Ford, the vice-president of communications and probe for NARAL Pro-Choice America.

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