In a move that has left many in her state horrified, Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has signaled her intent to sign a bill loosening rules on late-term abortion. 

According to the Washington Examiner, the legislation was introduced in April at the governor's urging before being passed in Maine's House of Representatives last month the state Senate this past Thursday.

Bill legalizes post-viability abortions

Under its provisions, abortions will be permitted in Maine after the point of viability "when it is necessary in the professional judgment of a [licensed] physician."

The Examiner noted that Republicans objected to the change by arguing that the legislation is vague and leaves what is or isn't considered necessary entirely up to the discretion of doctors.

What's more, the bill also strips criminal penalties against those who perform abortions in the state without a license.

Abortion is currently permitted without restriction up until the point of viability. While that is often regarded to be 24 weeks, children have survived earlier.

Babies are sometimes delivered before 24-week cutoff

Trending: Baby leaves NICU after 345 days http://t.co/zBeFoOUxQl pic.twitter.com/sIFb0KDkvH

— koconews (@koconews) July 26, 2015

Trevor Frolek was successfully delivered in 2015 after his mother went into labor prematurely. "My husband just said, 'Save the baby if you can… do whatever you can," Becky Frolek recalled during an interview with NBC's "Today Show."

Meanwhile, the technique used to carry out a second trimester is particularly gruesome, something former abortionist Dr. Kathi Aultman explained in a video for the pro-life group Live Action.

"Finding, grasping and crushing the baby’s head"

"After the amniotic fluid is removed, the abortionist uses a sopher clamp — a grasping instrument with rows of sharp 'teeth' — to grasp and pull the baby’s arms and legs, tearing the limbs from the child’s body," explained Aultman, who performed over 500 abortions.

"The abortionist continues to grasp intestines, spine, heart, lungs, and any other limbs or body parts. The most difficult part of the procedure is usually finding, grasping and crushing the baby’s head," she continued.

"After removing pieces of the child’s skull, the abortionist uses a curette to scrape the uterus and remove the placenta and any remaining parts of the baby," Aultman went on.

She concluded by saying, "The abortionist then collects all of the baby’s parts and reassembles them to make sure there are two arms, two legs, and that all of the pieces have been removed."