PA Senate Committee Votes on Dismemberment Ban

Member Group : PA Pro-Life Federation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MARIA GALLAGHER, PA PRO-LIFE
February 6, 2017 717-541-0034

Pennsylvania Senate Committee Votes to Ban Brutal Dismemberment Abortions

HARRISBURG, Pa. –A ban on the brutal practice of dismemberment abortions has been approved by the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee.

The measure, Senate Bill 3, would make it illegal to cause "the death of an unborn child by means of dismembering the unborn child and extracting the unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus through the use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors or similar instruments."

Under the measure, the legal limit for abortions in Pennsylvania would also change from six months’ to five months’ gestation, reflecting the fact that modern technology has been able to save babies at ever-earlier stages of development.

"Tearing a baby limb by limb from a mother’s womb is a cruel and unconscionable practice that should be banned," said Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, an affiliate of National Right to Life. "A statewide poll found that an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians—61 percent—support a dismemberment ban in the Keystone State. While both women and men approved of the ban, the level of support was actually higher among women—64 percent of PA women want to see an end to brutal dismemberment abortions in the Commonwealth," Gallagher added.

Senate Bill 3, which is sponsored by state Senator Michele Brooks (Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Warren Counties), provides exceptions for the mother’s life or for the "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the woman."

"So many women have come to me, asking when we will see an end to the heinous practice of dismemberment abortions in Pennsylvania. They are calling on the full Pennsylvania Senate to take the compassionate and just action of passing this much-needed legislation," Gallagher said.

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The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide. As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children.