CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed legislation Wednesday that would outlaw the most common procedure for second-trimester abortions.
State lawmakers are expected to override the governor’s veto.
The bill (SB 10) bans the “dilation and evacuation” procedure, the safest way to terminate a pregnancy after 13 weeks, according to doctors and medical groups.
In his veto message, Tomblin noted that the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have struck down similar bans on a woman’s right to choose the abortion procedure.
“I am advised this bill is overbroad and unduly burdens a woman’s fundamental right to privacy,” Tomblin wrote.
Republican legislators modeled West Virginia’s bill after similar abortion restriction laws in Oklahoma and Kansas. Courts have blocked bans from taking effect in those states…
