Yesterday, Kansas became the first state in history to ban a somewhat common second trimester abortion practice. The proceedure is described by critics as dismemberment.

The practice, medically known as surgical abortion, would be banned in the state except when it’s needed to save the woman’s life or prevent irreversable damage to the woman’s physical health.

Together with the National Right to Life group, Governor Sam Brownback drafted the bill which goes into affect starting July 1.

The same bill has also been introduced in the states of South Carolina, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Two abortion groups practice this in Kansas: Trust Women and Planned Parenthood. The two are considering taking action against the measure.

According to the Associated Press, supporters of abortion rights claim the law could be “vulnerable to lawsuit because it bans some abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb and contains no mental health exception for the mother.”

Abortion-rights groups believe the practice to be the safest procedure for women seeking to end their pregnancies in the second trimester.

Because a majority of abortions occur in the first trimester, this practice accounts for nine percent of Kansas’ abortions.

While up here in the Stater lab we differ greatly in political stances, we do agree on this issue. Collectively, we believe this particular method of abortion to be medieval. The practice accounts for nine percent of total abortions, so the ban doesn’t really limit the options a woman has.

The excessive cruelty of this practice has those of us who are pro-choice shaking our heads. Given that most women know of their pregnancy prior to the second trimester, there should be no reason for the practice to continue as anything other than a life-saving device.

Calyn Dunklau for The Wayne Stater