Oklahoma is about to join Kansas and become the second state to pass a bill banning the dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion technique. The Oklahoma Senate voted yesterday on the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act as well as a bill that required a 72-hour waiting period for an abortion.
D&E abortions are performed in the second trimester of pregnancy, when the fetus is between the age of 12 and 24 weeks. It consists of removing pieces of the fetus with forceps.
BREAKING: Oklahoma Senate passes dismemberment abortion ban: http://t.co/MyVAA6tuJ4 #prolife pic.twitter.com/iqVD2s0K1k
— Right to Life (@nrlc) April 8, 2015
It is expected that Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) will sign the bills. Oklahoma previously had a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion could be performed.
South Carolina and Missouri are also considering bills to ban D&E abortions in their states.