Bill passes assembly and goes to governor Scott Walker. Legislation includes medical emergency exemptions but opponents say requirements are onerous

The Wisconsin legislature on Thursday passed a controversial bill that would ban women from seeking abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Related: Scott Walker set to revive abortion hard line on eve of presidential bid

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The bill passed the state assembly after emotional testimony from lawmakers on both sides of the debate. The state senate approved the legislation in June.

The bill now goes to governor Scott Walker , who is due to announce his candidacy for the US presidency on Monday. He has said he will sign it .

Under the legislation, doctors and medical professionals who perform abortions could face criminal charges, punishable by $10,000 in fines or three-and-a-half years in prison. The legislation allows fathers to sue doctors for damages.

Though the bill carves out exemptions for medical emergencies, women and their doctors have to meet a series of requirements that opponents say are too onerous.

Wisconsin is the 15th state to pass a bill prohibiting abortion at 20 weeks or earlier, though bans in Georgia, Idaho and Arizona have been struck down by courts. The bans are rooted in the belief that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks, a claim that has been disputed in medical research.

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The laws challenge the fetal viability standard on abortions established by the 1973 US supreme court decision Roe v Wade, which legalized abortions. Fetal viability is generally believed to occur between 22 and 24 weeks.

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