MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin Senate committee has advanced a bill that would ban non-emergency abortion procedures after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In a meeting Thursday, the Senate Health Committee approved the fast-tracked bill on a 3-2 party-line vote with Republicans in support. Under the proposal, doctors who perform an abortion after 20 weeks in non-emergency situations could be charged with a felony and subject to $10,000 in fines or 3 ½ years in prison. Senate leaders have said the full Senate will vote to pass it Tuesday. The bill’s supporters say a 20-week-old fetus can feel pain and shouldn’t be subject to abortion procedures. Opponents contend that a fetus can’t experience pain until the third trimester begins at 27 weeks. Gov. Scott Walker has said he would sign the bill.
