Dismemberment Ban Introduced in Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: MARIA GALLAGHER, PA PRO-LIFE
June 6, 2016 717-541-0034

Ban on Brutal Dismemberment Abortions Introduced in Pennsylvania Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. –A ban on brutal dismemberment abortions has now been introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate.

The measure, Senate Bill 888, is sponsored by Senator Michele Brooks (R-Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Warren Counties) and has 19 co-sponsors.

The bill would make illegal "knowingly and purposefully causing 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."

The legislation would also change the legal cut-off for abortions in Pennsylvania from six months’ to five months’ gestation.

"Tearing a baby limb by limb from the mother’s womb is a barbaric 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 last year found that an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians—61 percent—support a dismemberment ban in the Keystone State. Both women (64 percent) and men (58 percent) back a dismemberment ban," Gallagher added.

Senate Bill 888 is similar to House Bill 1948, a ban on dismemberment abortions that has been introduced in the PA House of Representatives by state Representative Kathy Rapp (R-Crawford, Forest, and Warren Counties). Both bills provide exceptions for the mother’s life or for the "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."

"Most Pennsylvania residents want the outrageous practice of dismemberment abortion banned. This brutal practice should not be tolerated in a civilized society. It is time for the legislature to end this horrific practice once and for all," 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.