Great news for New Mexican pro-life advocaes!  A ban on late-term abortion will be on October’s ballot thanks to the hard work of those who gathered the 12,000 signatures needed.

A Huffington Post poll released earlier this month found that about 70% of people favor a late-term abortion ban.  With New Mexico’s high percentage of socially conservative Hispanics, it is likely that the local number who support the ban is even higher than the national average.

A petition to place a measure on the ballot in Albuquerque, New Mexico would ban late-term abortions in this large city that pro-life advocates are calling the late-term abortion capital of the nation.

A unique attempt at banning late-term abortions through the petition process at the city level has surpassed its goal of 12,000 signatures. The effort, spearheaded by Bud and Tara Shaver of Project Defending Life, had until July 25 to place the initiative on the ballot in October. If successful, Albuquerque would become the first city in America to ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

“On July 25, concerned citizens of Albuquerque along with various New Mexico groups will submit the remainder of the required signatures needed to place an initiative on the October 8th ballot that would end late-term abortion in the late-term abortion capital of the nation. We will submit the signatures to the Albuquerque City Clerk’s office,” Shaver said.

“This initiative for direct legislation in the city of Albuquerque will ban abortion beginning at 20 weeks due to the vast amount of scientific data that establishes the fact that in-utero, preborn human beings are capable of feeling pain,” Shaver added.

Shaver said women will benefit from this ordinance if passed as well. According to an informed consent document from the late term abortion clinic Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO) in Albuquerque, the main late-term abortion business, states the following, “[A] pregnancy termination at 18 weeks and above involves a greater risk than carrying a pregnancy to term.”

Tara Shaver added: “The people of Albuquerque have let their voices be heard with this initiative. All across the nation individuals are waking up to the fact that late term abortion is a barbaric act that has no place in a civilized society. It is now time for all of Albuquerque to have their say about late term abortions that are putting women’s lives at risk. Women and their children have the most to gain by this historic effort initiated at the city level.”

Shaver documented the risks to the latest of abortion procedures employed by an Albuquerque abortion clinic, Southwestern Women’s Options, when she obtained over a dozen 911 calls for abortion-related medical emergencies through open records requests until the city finally stopped honoring her requests. Operation Rescue helped Project Defending Life publicize the incidents that revealed live-threatening complications from abortions as late into pregnancies as 35 weeks. A pregnancy is considered full term at 38 weeks.

Read more at Life News