Late-term abortion ban approved in Arizona, heads to governor’s desk

Arizona's state House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that bans most late-term abortions, sending the closely watched measure on to the Republican governor for her signature.

House members passed the bill by a 37-22 vote and sent it to the desk of Gov. Jan Brewer, who has signed previous anti-abortion legislation, The Associated Press reported.

More from GlobalPost: Virginia Sen. battles abortion bill with rectal exams

The measure would ban health care professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks, except in a medical emergency. Only a small number of these abortions are currently performed in Arizona, Reuters reported.

The bill also orders the state to establish a website with images of fetuses at various stages of development for women to view, according to the AP.

It would also require women to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours prior to having an abortion, instead of the one hour currently mandated under state law, Reuters reported.

More from GlobalPost: Unsafe abortions increase, particularly in Africa

If Brewer signs the legislation, Arizona would join six other states with similar bans. Nebraska enacted its in 2010 and five others followed in 2011, the AP reported.

Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Brewer, told Reuters she had a "strong and consistent pro-life record," but had not yet publicly announced her position on the bill.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions nationwide in 1973 but allowed states to ban the procedure, unless it risked the woman's health, after the time when the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb.

More from GlobalPost: Abortion 14 times safer for women than giving birth, study finds