A House panel has unanimously approved a bill that would ban partial-birth abortions in Arizona and punish doctors who perform the procedure with up to two years in prison.

The bill, H2400, mirrors a federal ban on partial-birth abortions that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. Arizona had a state-level ban on this type of abortion in 1997, but it was blocked by a federal court.

Rep. Andy Tobin, a Republican from Paulden, called the legislation "the ultimate health care bill for children." Tobin, one of dozens of cosponsors of H2400, also sponsored a pair of bills last year aimed at banning partial-birth abortions in Arizona that were vetoed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano.

"There is nothing that's extreme about this bill. What's extreme is the procedure," he said.

The procedure at issue involves partially removing the fetus intact from a woman's uterus, then crushing or cutting its skull to complete the abortion.

A state law is needed because the federal law is not enforceable in Arizona unless federal prosecutors can prove a partial-birth abortion affected interstate commerce, said Deborah Sheasby, legal counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy, a pro-family advocacy group.

The bill was approved by the House Health & Human Services Committee by a 6-0 vote; all three of the committee's Democrats were absent.