Alabama government signs bill banning dismemberment abortion

CB Condez Sunday, May 15, 2016

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley address the crowd during a press conference at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama February 24, 2011. | REUTERS/ LYLE W. RATLIFF

The governor of Alabama signed a bill that protects unborn children from being torn part by part while inside their mother's womb.

S.B. 363 or the "Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act," signed by Gov. Robert Bentley on May 12, will take effect in August. This means that what was formerly known as "dilation and evacuation" abortion or dismemberment of a fetus will no longer be allowed in the entire state.

"This act would prohibit and punish any individual who performs or attempts to perform a dismemberment abortion unless necessary to prevent serious health risk to the mother of the unborn child," S.B. 363 reads in part.

Dismemberment of a fetus, according to LifeSiteNews, accounts for majority of second-trimester abortions -- around 92 percent. Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino testified in Congress of the procedure done to terminate the pregnancy, saying that the unborn baby is torn limb-from-limb. The larger parts are removed first after which the abortionist reaches in "again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart, and lungs."

"Governor Robert Bentley is to be commended for his action in signing into law the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which will prohibit this barbaric inhumanity in our state," Alabama Citizen for Life National Director Cheryl Ciamarra said in a statement. "We appreciate the exceptional leadership of Senator Phil Williams and Representatives Mack Butler for spearheading the enactment of this landmark lifesaving legislation."

The bill garnered a 72-26 vote in the House of Representatives and a 30-2 vote in the state Senate. Alabama is now the fifth state to adopt this into law, following Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Mississippi. Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, and Nebraska likewise have similar pending legislation.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said, "The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is starting to transform the debate about abortion policy in the United States."