A bill that would ban a common abortion procedure when women are at least 11 weeks into their pregnancies is one step away from clearing Kentucky's Republican-led legislature.

The bill passed the Senate on Thursday. The measure now returns to the House, which will consider whether to accept a change made by senators.

The measure would prohibit an abortion procedure known as "dilation and evacuation" 11 weeks or later into a pregnancy, except in medical emergencies.

The bill's supporters say the procedure is "gruesome." The procedure was used in 537 of 3,312 abortions done in Kentucky in 2016, according to state statistics.

Abortion-rights activists say the bill would ban the most common method of second-trimester abortions. They say identical measures have been struck down in other states.

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The legislation is House Bill 454.

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3/22/2018 6:48:35 PM (GMT -4:00)