This procedure is banned in the US. Why is it a hot topic in fight over Ohio’s abortion amendment?

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — With Election Day closing in, anti-abortion groups seeking to build opposition to a reproductive rights measure in Ohio are messaging heavily around a term for an abortion procedure that was once used later in pregnancy — but hasn’t been legal in the U.S. for over 15 years. In ads, debates and public statements, the opposition campaign and top Republicans have increasingly been referencing “partial birth abortions” as an imminent threat if voters approve the constitutional amendment on Nov. 7. It’s a non-medical term for a procedure known as dilation and extraction, which is already federally prohibited.