Alabama lawmakers outlaw almost all abortions in the state: NPR

The Alabama Senate on Tuesday night passed a bill banning almost all abortions. The House of States had already overwhelmingly approved the legislation. This is part of a larger anti-abortion strategy to encourage the US Supreme Court to reconsider the right to abortion.

This would be one of the most restrictive abortions in the United States. The bill would incriminate doctors who practice abortions at any stage of pregnancy, unless a woman's life is at risk or in case of fatal fetal abnormality .

The vote was 25-6, with one abstention.

The doctors in that state would face a prison sentence of up to 99 years when they were convicted. But a woman would not be held criminally responsible for abortion.

The only exceptions are a serious risk to the health of the pregnant woman or a fatal abnormality of the fetus. There is no exception for cases of rape or incest, and it was a stumbling block when the Alabama Senate attempted to debate the measure for the first time last Thursday. The Republican majority chamber suspended its work dramatically when leaders tried to strip an amendment from a committee that would have added an exception for cases of rape or incest.

Promoters insist they want to limit exceptions, because the bill aims to make believe that a fetus is a person with rights, which is a direct challenge for the US Supreme Court. Roe v. Wade decision that established the right of a woman to abortion.

"Human life has rights, and when someone takes these rights, the government must step in," said Republican Clyde Chambliss, the Senate's sponsor on the abortion ban.

The amendment divided the Republicans. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, who chairs the Senate, wrote on Twitter that his position is simple: "abortion is murder". But other Senate leaders have insisted that there are exceptions for rape and incest.

The Democrats did not have the right to vote to stop the bill but tried to slow down the debate during the debate.

Sen. Democrat Vivian Davis Personalities asked why their supporters would not want victims of rape or incest to be the object of an exception for a horrible act.

"Remove that choice from the person who committed such a traumatic act against her, end up with the rest of that person if you wish, have to bring that child into the world and remember it every day," the numbers said.

The ACLU of Alabama has officially declared that it will take legal action if the bill becomes law. Republican governor Kay Ivey did not say whether she would sign it, but said she was expecting a final version of the bill. She is considered a powerful opponent of abortion.

Destroy abortion rights

In recent years, conservative states have enacted laws that restrict the right to abortion with stricter rules, including time limits, waiting times, and medical requirements for doctors and doctors. at clinics. This year, state legislators are going even further now that there is a Conservative majority in the US Supreme Court.

"The strategy here is that we will win," said Eric Johnston, president of the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition, which helped create the abortion ban in Alabama.

"There are a lot of factors and the main one is two new judges who can give the opportunity to have roe "And Judge Ginsburg – no one knows about his health."

So, states are pushing the limits. Several countries, including Georgia and Mississippi, neighbors of Alabama, have passed laws prohibiting abortion as soon as the fetal heart rate is detected. But the drafters of the Alabama bill think their law might be the one that would be most appropriate for a Supreme Court review, as they have no additional criteria if a woman is pregnant.