Approved: Wisconsin Assembly passes bill that bans non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks

MADISON — The Wisconsin Assembly has passed a bill banning non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The Republican-controlled chamber approved the bill 61-34 Thursday. The Senate passed the measure in June. It now goes to Gov. Scott Walker, who has said he will sign it into law.

Under the proposal, doctors who perform a non-emergency abortion after 20 weeks could be punished by up to $10,000 in fines and 3½ years in prison. The bill doesn't provide exceptions for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault or incest.

The bill's Republican supporters argue fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, says evidence suggests that's not possible until the third trimester begins at 27 weeks.