Controversial Late-Term Abortion Measure Part of Women's Equality Act Reintroduced in New York State

A late-term abortion measure — part of a reintroduced package of bills dubbed the Women's Equality Act — would allow non-doctors to perform abortions in New York state up to the day of the baby's birth, the Associated Press reported, citing a spokeswoman for the state senate's Republican Conference.

Image source: LifeNews

"We will continue to work to enact our women's agenda into law," spokeswoman Kelly Cummings told the AP, "but we won't let reckless Senate Democrats jeopardize the health and safety of women, nor will we let them endanger their basic reproductive health just to make a political statement."

The Women's Equality Act, which also addresses issues such as pay equity, sexual harassment, human trafficking and tougher order-of-protection laws, was reintroduced to the New York state senate by Democrats on Tuesday. Last year, Senate Republicans shot down a surprise amendment that would have forced the chamber to consider the abortion measure, the AP said.

“How many times do New Yorkers have to reject this radical agenda that would legalize abortion for any reason through all nine months?” Lori Kehoe, New York State Right to Life executive director, asked LifeNews. “New York is already the abortion capital of the United States, with practically no oversight of the industry, but they would rather protect the abortion business than New York women. It’s wrong.”

[sharequote align="center"]“New York is already the abortion capital of the United States."[/sharequote]

More from LifeNews:

Throughout the second trimester, late abortions can be completed by dismembering the developed unborn child, even when they can feel pain, pulling the baby out piece by piece until the mother’s uterus is empty. After the abortion, the abortionist must reassemble the child’s body to ensure nothing has been left inside the child’s mother.

In abortions that take place later in pregnancy, which would be legalized in New York by the abortion-expanding Women’s Equality Act, often babies are killed by sliding a needle filled with a chemical agent, such as digoxin, into the beating heart, before being delivered.

The New York Times' firing last week of its first-ever female executive editor Jill Abramson was cited by advocates and lawmakers as a reason for reintroducing the Women's Equality Act, the AP added.

As for the late-term abortion measure, advocates said it's simply matching 1970 state law with the less restrictive Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 to quell their fear that federal law will be struck down, the AP said, adding that supporters said it would do nothing to change abortion as now practiced.

A poll conducted by McLaughlin and Associates last year found that 79.5% of New Yorkers oppose allowing unlimited abortion rights through the ninth month of pregnancy, LifeNews added.

The senate's minority conference said breaking apart the package to vote on bills individually isn't an option, the AP reported.

(H/T: ConservativeByte)