Kansas First State to Ban 'Dismemberment Abortion'

Kansas has become the first state to ban dismemberment abortions in the second trimester.

The director of the National Right to Life Committee said those types of abortions tear unborn babies apart limb from limb after the child has a beating heart, brain waves, and more.

"The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is the first of what we hope will be many state laws banning dismemberment abortions," group president Carol Tobias said in a statement.

"This law has the power to transform the landscape of abortion policy in the United States," she said.

Gov. Sam Brownback said he hopes other states follow Kansas' example. The procedure can still be performed if necessary to save the mother's life.

Two abortion rights groups with clinics in Kansas, Trust Women and Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, have hinted they may challenge the law in court.

The new law will go into effect July 1. Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have introduced similar measures.