Kansas bans dismemberment abortion

Kansas has become the first state to ban a common second-term abortion procedure, according to The New York Times.

On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signed a bill into law that bans dismemberment abortion, defined in part as "knowingly dismembering a living unborn child and extracting such unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus," according to the report.  A statement on Gov. Brownback's website indicates that dismemberment abortion would be allowed if it is "necessary to protect the life or health of the mother."

Although some experts say the practical impact of the law is uncertain, the law appears to ban or require alteration of the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure, which is commonly used in abortions after the 12th to 14th week of pregnancy, according to the report.

Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said the law "has the power to transform the landscape of abortion policy in the United States," according to the report. But Julie Burkhart, the CEO of the Trust Women Foundation and the South Wind Women’s Center in Wichita, Kan., told The New York Times her group planned to challenge the law in court.

"We call it the 'physician intimidation and criminalization act,'" Ms. Burkhart told the publication. "This is unconstitutional."

According to the report, a similar bill appears to be close to passage in Oklahoma, and others have been proposed in Missouri, South Carolina and South Dakota.