Speech on Abortion, Remarks by John Rogers and Update on Measles: Alabama's Best News of the Week



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All eyes shifted to Alabama this week as legislators debated – and eventually tabled – the country's toughest abortion bill.

The law makes it a crime to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Fireworks broke out in the state Senate after governor, Will Ainsworth, quickly rejected an amendment to exclude rape or incest victims before lawmakers could vote or debate.

Fury pushed the vote to Tuesday, May 14.

This was not the first controversial moment in the abortion debate. Earlier in the week, state representative John Rogers of D-Birmingham posted a video on Twitter containing his thoughts on the bill.

"So you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them into the unwanted, unloved world, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later, "he said.

Comments generated an immediate reaction from both sides of the driveway.

Abortion was not the only issue on the legislative agenda. The state Senate quickly passed a bill Thursday morning to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. The bill is now moving to the state house. If passed, Alabama would become the 34th state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

On Friday afternoon, the Alabama Department of Health announced that an infant suspected of being infected with measles had been tested negative for highly contagious infection. The five-month-old had several symptoms of the disease and was counted as a presumptively positive case before the results returned.

Measles cases have been confirmed in 23 states and public health officials are urging parents to vaccinate children who may be late on their shots.

The tragedy hit Bluff Park when two teenagers dived a hundred meters from the edge of a cliff after leaving the road. Authorities later identified the victims as two 15- and 17-year-old students in Birmingham City schools.

A 19-year-old Georgia slipped into tumultuous waters Tuesday near the Noccalula Falls in Gadsden. The rescuers found his body downstream and declared his death on the scene.

Former Jefferson County Commissioner Chris McNair, father of one of the girls killed during the bomb attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church, died this week in the age of 93 years old. His funeral will be in the same church where his daughter died.

McNair leaves a complex legacy that includes years of community leadership, but also a conviction for corruption.

Meanwhile, in Mobile, members of the public are strongly opposed to efforts to impose a toll of $ 3-6 on a new I-10 bridge. Transportation officials said they needed toll revenues to fund the project, but residents say the fees would impose a heavy economic burden on commuters.

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