AR House Moves to Override Governor Veto on 20-Week Ban

The Arkansas state House voted yesterday in favor of overriding Governor Beebe's veto of a bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks.

In a vote 53-28, state Representatives approved the decision to override the veto, sending it to the state Senate. In Arkansas, a governor veto can be overridden by the state legislature with a simple majority vote in both houses. If the Senate also votes to override the veto, the bill will automatically become law, and Arkansas will join seven other states with a 20 week term limit on abortion.

"It's disheartening that our lawmakers are knowingly passing an unconstitutional abortion ban for the sake of politics," Jill June, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, told reporters.

The Arkansas state Senate is expected to vote on the override on Thursday.

Media Resources: Associated Press 2/27/2013; Reuters 2/27/2013; Feminist Newswire 2/27/2013

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