LINCOLN - State senators spent three hours Wednesday afternoon debating Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist's "dismemberment abortion" bill to ban the second-trimester procedure that tears "a baby limb from limb."

Most doctors call the procedure dilation and evacuation, a surgical procedure that uses suction to remove the fetus, forceps, and a curette to scrape the lining of the uterus and remove tissue.

Early last week, Geist succeeded in a motion to pull the bill from committee to the floor for debate, which was guaranteed Wednesday when Speaker Jim Scheer designated a specific time for it on the agenda.

"LB814 would end the practice of killing a live baby in the second trimester of pregnancy by pulling off its arms and legs piece by piece until it either bleeds to death, its spinal cord is cut or its skull is crushed," she said. "It's an unthinkable way to dispose of a child."

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt moved to kill the bill, saying there is much more important business for the Legislature during a pandemic.

"Here we are at the hallowed hour of 1:30 (p.m.), as foretold by the speaker of the Legislature, who in the midst of a pandemic, a public health crisis ... thought we'd better get this bill ... into its own hallowed and sanctified time slot," Hunt said.

The bill was filibustered and got three hours of debate but no vote was taken. Geist can bring the bill back if there's time and she can show she had 33 votes to break the filibuster.

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