DOVER, Del. (AP) - The state Senate has narrowly passed a bill to ensure abortion remains legal in Delaware if the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade is ever overturned.
The bill, approved Tuesday and sent to the House, revises Delaware's current abortion law, which is still on the books despite being superseded by federal law.
The current law allows abortions only if the mother's health is at risk, if there is a substantial risk the child would be born with serious and permanent deformities or disabilities, or if the pregnancy results from rape or incest. The law also prohibits abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy and requires parental consent for girls under 18.
The legislation removes those restrictions and leaves it to doctors to determine whether a fetus is viable.
