West Virginia is now poised to prohibit abortions for women who believe their child will be born with a disability.
Gov. Jim Justice signed Monday the Unborn Child with a Disability Protection and Education Act, which bars medical professionals from conducting abortions “because of a disability,” including morphological malformation or chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, and it will go into effect June 10, according to the West Virginia Legislature.
“Today we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day,” Justice said in a post on Twitter, adding that it was the “perfect day” to sign SB 468.
WEST VIRGINIA SENATE PASSES STRICTER UNEMPLOYMENT RULES
The bill states that “a licensed medical professional” will need to submit a report within 15 days of conducting an abortion. The report must provide a statement from the patient confirming that the abortion was not conducted based on fear of the child having a disability, the date of the procedure, and the method of abortion used.,
Exceptions to the law are limited to a patient having a “medical emergency” or a “nonmedically viable fetus.”
Today we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! ? ?
That made for the perfect day to sign SB 647 and SB 468. Both bills give deserved respect to our Down Syndrome community.
SB 647: https://t.co/OpCLvba8bH
SB 468: https://t.co/7XkHWQDfu1
?: https://t.co/dr6OIOOaeN pic.twitter.com/77cdphtOao— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) March 21, 2022
The legislation passed this month in the GOP-controlled state House of Delegates and Senate by wide margins in the face of Democratic opposition, according to WHSV3. Democrats accused Republican lawmakers of not only using the bill for political gain but also using people who have disabilities.
“This is an attempt to use people with disabilities as props for an anti-abortion agenda, something that the disability community has not asked for, as far as I know — and that’s just wrong,” Democratic Del. Evan Hansen said during the exchange, according to the Associated Press. “It creates government overreach into personal family medical decisions.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The passing of West Virginia’s abortion bill comes as states such as Florida and Arizona have sought to enact legislation that would prohibit abortions from being conducted after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Florida’s abortion bill is similar to that of legislation in Mississippi, which is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court.
