FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2022
Contact: Mallory Carroll, [email protected]
Science Shows Unborn Babies Feel Pain at Least as Early as 15 Weeks
Washington, D.C. â Today by a vote of 81-18, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed H.B. 4004, legislation to stop late abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The bill now heads to the state Senate. The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) celebrated in a statement:
âWe are encouraged to see lawmakers in the Mountain State and across the nation advancing proactive pro-life legislation as we await the Supreme Courtâs decision in the Dobbs case. West Virginians agree unborn babies should be protected from late abortions when they can feel pain, which science shows is at least as early as 15 weeks,â said SBA List State Policy Director Sue Liebel. âWe thank Delegate Ruth Rowan, a member of our National Pro-Life Womenâs Caucus, all the sponsors and all pro-life delegates who voted âyesâ and look forward to seeing this bill passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Justice. Further, we have great hope that all states will soon be able to enact the consensus of the American people, who overwhelmingly reject abortion on demand and support significant limits on abortion, while the pro-life movement continues working toward the day when all children and their mothers are protected in our laws.â
In 2018 West Virginia voters passed Amendment 1, a pro-life ballot initiative to stop taxpayer-funded abortions, saving an estimated 1,500 lives a year.
In Dobbs v. Jackson Womenâs Health Organization, a case involving a Mississippi law that limits abortion after 15 weeks, the Supreme Court will address whether all pre-viability abortion limits are unconstitutional. A decision is expected in the spring or summer of 2022.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.Â
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