Bill banning dismemberment abortions becomes law in Texas

A legislation that bans dismemberment abortions, which is typically performed during the second trimester of pregnancy, has been signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday.

The law is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, making Texas the eighth state to ban dismemberment abortion, which is a procedure that involves tearing apart the unborn baby before removing the pieces from the womb one at a time.

Texas Senate Bill 8, authored by State Sen. Charles Schwertner, would also prohibit partial-birth abortions as well as the sale of baby body parts. The measure carries an exception from the ban on dismemberment abortions in cases of medical emergency.

Under the new law, those who are caught assisting abortionists in conducting an illegal abortion could potentially face charges.

The legislation also requires aborted babies to be buried or cremated rather than treated as medical waste, Life Site News reported. It directs the state to create and maintain a registry of funeral homes and cemeteries that are "willing to provide free common burial or low-cost private burial" for aborted babies.

Prior to the signing of the bill, the Center for Reproductive Rights had sent a letter to Abbott urging him to veto the legislation.

"The Center for Reproductive Rights vows to battle any unconstitutional measures in the courts until the rights of Texas women are respected and protected," the pro-abortion group stated in the letter.

The dismemberment abortion ban gained 95 percent support of voting delegates at the Republican National Convention in 2016, according to Texas Right to Life. The bill had 20 authors and co-authors in the Senate, and 80 sponsors and co-sponsors in the Texas House.

"Texas Right to Life celebrates SB 8 being signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott. The most important part of Senate Bill 8 is the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, which is a dynamic and critical tool for the pro-life movement to educate the public about the violent nature of abortion and legally challenge some of the core judicial fallacies of Roe v. Wade," Legislative Director John Seago told Breitbart News.

Dismemberment abortions are also banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. The ban is based on model legislation from the National Right to Life Committee that prohibits the use of forceps, clamps, scissors or similar instruments to remove the unborn baby from the womb piece by piece.