W.Va. governor vetoes abortion ban

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed a bill late Friday that would have banned abortion in West Virginia after 20 weeks.

The Democratic governor said the bill was unconstitutional and state legislators were quick to “trample the rights of women in West Virginia,” according to CBS affiliate WOWK-TV.

“I have vetoed HB 4588 because I am advised, by not only attorneys from the legislature, but through my own legal team that this bill is unconstitutional,” he said in a statement.

Tomblin also said the medical community thought the legal penalties facing the legislation were problematic “because it unduly restricts the physician-patient relationship. All patients, particularly expectant mothers, require the best, most unfettered medical judgment and advice from their physicians regarding treatment options.”

The bill sparked days of debate regarding fetal pain and women’s rights before passing both Democratic-controlled legislative chambers. 

The West Virginia bill is similar to one struck down in Arizona that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review in January.