Arkansas has passed the most restrictive abortion law in the United States – a near-ban on the procedure from the 12th week of pregnancy onward.
The state has vetoed the Democratic Governor twice in the last week over two separate bills on abortion. The first one banned most abortions starting in the 20th week of pregnancy. That bill took effect immediately after the final override vote, whereas the 12-week ban would not take effect until this summer.
Abortion rights proponents have already said they will sue to block the 12-week ban from taking effect.
So far, other recent attempts to similarly restrict abortion in other states have fallen short. A so-called fetal pain law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy was struck down on Wednesday night by a federal judge in Idaho.
The law was based on disputed beliefs held by some physicians and others that the foetus is able to feel pain at 20 weeks and therefore deserves protection from abortions.
In Mississippi, voters rejected a so-called "personhood amendment" at the polls. In Ohio, a similar measure was defeated in the legislature, but they represent a growing trend in conservative states to chip away at abortion rights under the US Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalised abortion until a foetus could viably survive outside the womb. A foetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...law-in-US.html