TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida may ban a type of second-trimester abortion procedure if a bill moving through the state House becomes law.
A divided House panel voted Thursday for the legislation (HB 1429) that would prohibit a physician from using forceps and other instruments to remove the fetus from the womb. The bill uses the non-medical term “dismemberment abortion” to describe the procedure.
The legislation heads next to the full House. It’s not clear if the bill will pass this year since similar legislation has not been heard in the Florida Senate.
Most abortions in Florida occur in the first trimester and only about 7 percent take place during the second trimester. Several other states have passed bills that prohibit common procedures used during the second trimester, but those bills have been challenged.