(LANSING) - Some Republican lawmakers in Lansing want to shorten the time period when a pregnant woman can get an abortion. A bill in the Senate would make it a felony to perform abortions after 20 weeks of the probable conception.
Many healthcare professionals use a different timeline for determining the “age” of a fetus. They start counting from the time of the woman’s last menstrual period. Using that metric, the bill would actually ban abortions at around 22 weeks.
Republican Senator Curtis VanderWall is a bill sponsor. He says the bills do contain an exception:
“If the mother’s life is in jeopardy and the doctors and her come to a consensus it’s the best decision to be made, for the life of the mother that child can be taken.”
Opponents say the exception for a quote – ‘medical emergency’ is too vague. And they say the legislation would impede a doctor’s ability to do what’s best for their patient.