Arkansas House passes toughest abortion law in US

Under new legislation voted upon by the Arkansas House, victims of rape and incest will no longer be able to procure abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy as the Republican-dominated legislature tries to crack down on abortions.

Representatives on Monday voted 75-20 to approve the measure, which would also block insurers from paying for abortions if they participate in the state-sponsored health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act. If the law goes into effect, insurers who violate it would face a class D felony prosecution, which can result in up to six years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

The abortion ban would apply to any pregnant woman who has carried a fetus for 20 weeks or more and only exempt potential mothers who are at serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment or death from childbirth.

The bill comes after the Arkansas Senate last week voted to approve a more restrictive ban, which bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected and could prohibit the procedure as early as five weeks. The proposed bill would be the most restrictive abortion ban in the US.

The Arkansas legislature’s unwavering pursuit of tighter abortion laws has angered pro-choice lobbyists and members of Planned Parenthood.

“Extreme groups pushing these bills want to eliminate abortion,” Planned Parenthood lobbyist Murry Newbern told Reuters. “The bill has nothing to do with the health and safety of a woman. It’s an attempt to chip away access to abortion.”

The initiative may also be an unnecessary push against a fictional problem: in Arkansas, only two abortions were performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy in 2011, which Newbern says were both likely due to pregnancy complications.

more here: http://rt.com/usa/news/arkansas-house-us-abortion-520/