DOVER, Del. (AP) - Republican lawmakers are facing an uphill battle in trying to pass legislation aimed at reducing the number of abortions in Delaware.
A Democrat-led committee held public hearings on two abortion bills Wednesday, but floor votes in the full Senate are uncertain.
One bill prohibits abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later in most circumstances, based on arguments that a fetus at that age can feel pain.
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The second bill requires doctors to offer patients the opportunity to see ultrasound images and to hear fetal heart sounds before performing abortions.
Supporters of the measures say late-terms abortions are barbaric, and that medical advances have decreased the age of fetal viability.
Opponents decry government intrusion into private medical procedures and say the fetal pain bill is based on faulty science.
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