Free Republic

Kansas became the first state to ban a common second trimester abortion procedure when Governor Sam Brownback, a Republican, on Tuesday signed into a law an act to halt what lawmakers said are "dismemberment abortions." The law that goes into effect on July 1 prohibits the use of dilation and evacuation. The bill says the procedure can result in the fetus being extracted in pieces. Supporters in Kansas have called the procedure horrifying while women's healthcare groups have said it is considered the safest way to terminate a pregnancy in the second trimester. The law allows for the procedure to...

COLUMN ONE A Late Decision, a Lasting Anguish # A Kansas doctor is under investigation for performing abortions others won't. His clients say outsiders can't grasp their pain or gratitude. By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff Writer WICHITA, Kan. — The moment is burned forever in her mind: The small exam room, her husband's ashen face, her sobs as the doctor guided a needle into her womb to kill her son. It's been 4 1/2 years, and still Marie Becker can feel Daniel kicking inside her, kicking and kicking as she choked back hysteria — kicking until the drug stopped his...

A low-tech, hand-held vacuum aspiration device works as well as a more expensive electrical unit for ending second-trimester pregnancies, say researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. They compared the two devices while performing second-trimester abortions on 110 women with an average gestation of 16 weeks. Manual vacuum aspiration was used on 73 women and electric vacuum aspiration on 37 women. No difference in procedure time The study found no significant differences in procedure time between the two groups of women. There were no reported complications. Manual vacuum aspiration is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for first-trimester abortions,...