Delegates Considering Abortion Bill

{Charleston, West Virginia}...A committee in the House of Delegates is considering a proposed bill that would ban abortions in West Virginia 20 weeks after fertilization. Those with the organization West Virginians For Life, who are supporting The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, rallied at the State Capitol Tuesday. For Life President Doctor Wanda Franz said it's really important for people to understand that these babies suffer terribly from abortion. She says there is a scientific evidence that a fetus or baby can feel pain after 20 weeks. West Virginia Free Executive Director Margaret Chapman-Pomponio, though, says the science about the pain the fetus or unborn child feels has not been fully vetted. Chapman-Pomponio says the legislation is an intrusion into the practice of medicine that is really punishing for women who are in difficult situations, and it is not up to the Legislature to determine when a fetus or unborn child feels pain and then mandate what can be done based on that determination.