CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Senate Majority Whip Jay Taylor (R-Taylor) has withdrawn his bill that would’ve removed rape and incest as exemptions to the state’s abortion law.
Senate Bill 51 was introduced last week by Senate Majority Whip Jay Taylor (R-Taylor) in an effort to amend §16-2R-3. That portion of the West Virginia State Code makes abortion illegal in the Mountain State, with some exceptions.
According to the code, those exceptions include a nonviable embryo or fetus, an ectopic pregnancy, a medical emergency, or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest in which a police report has been made and or the patient has sought medical treatment because of rape or incest. You can read §16-2R-3 here.
Taylor’s amendment to the bill would’ve taken out all sections allowing for exemptions for rape or incest, including the exceptions for victims who are minors.
This includes the language stating that the agency or person to whom rape or incest against a minor is reported must report it to the Child Abuse and Neglect Investigations Unit of the West Virginia State Police within 48 hours.
On Wednesday, Sen. Taylor released a statement on his decision to withdraw the bill. He said in his statement that he apologizes to “whom I may have offended with this action.” He said he has received threats directed towards his family after introducing the bill.
“I am announcing the withdrawal of Senate Bill 51, which I originally introduced with the intention of protecting the lives of unborn children,” Sen. Taylor said in a statement. “I have always believed that life begins at conception, and this belief guided my decision to support this bill for several years. However, I recognize now that reintroducing the bill this year was a mistake, particularly given its unrealistic path forward.”
He went on to say that he hopes, “that withdrawing the bill, alongside my genuine apology, will help reduce tensions.”
The state’s abortion ban law, as it currently stands, was signed into law by former governor Jim Justice on Sept. 16, 2022, after the legislature passed it on Sept. 13 of that year.
That bill clarified the state’s abortion laws and allowed for the exemptions listed above while also requiring all legal abortions to be performed in a hospital.
