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View of the state capital in Montgomery, Alaska. A bill on radical abortion was passed Tuesday by the House of Representatives and is expected to win the final vote in the Republican majority Senate.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
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Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
View of the state capital in Montgomery, Alaska. A bill on radical abortion was passed Tuesday by the House of Representatives and is expected to win the final vote in the Republican majority Senate.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
In what would likely become the most restrictive prohibition for abortion in the country, Alabama House on Tuesday passed a bill that would criminalize abortion performed by doctors at the N & # 39; Any stage of pregnancy, unless the life of a woman is threatened. The legislation is part of a broader abortion strategy to encourage the US Supreme Court to reconsider its right to abortion.
Republican State Representative Terri Collins of Decatur, Ala., Defended her "law on the protection of human life" in controversial debates in the House.
"This bill is focused on this baby who is in the womb of his mother, it's a person," Collins said. "This baby, I believe, would choose life."
Democrat legislators left in protest before the final vote of 74 to 3. During the debate, they questioned the motive for the ban on abortion in a state that refused to allow it. 39, expand Medicaid. "I support life, but some people only support birth but do not support it," said Democratic Representative Merika Coleman of Birmingham, Ala. "Because after the birth of a child, some things have yet to happen.We must make sure that the child has adequate health care," Coleman said.
The Unite Coalition for Reproduction and Gender Equality demonstrated in front of the state of Alabama headquarters last month.
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Debbie Elliott / NPR
The Unite Coalition for Reproduction and Gender Equality demonstrated in front of the state of Alabama headquarters last month.
Debbie Elliott / NPR
Other states, including Georgia and Mississippi, have laws prohibiting abortion as soon as the fetal heart rate is detected. But the ban on Alabama would apply even sooner.
"When a woman is pregnant, abortion is no longer legal," says Collins, explaining the bill.
The bill criminalises abortion, which means that doctors would be exposed to a prison term of up to 99 years in the event of conviction. 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. A woman would not be held criminally responsible for an abortion.
Collins says the bill follows a constitutional amendment approved by voters in Alabama last year, which recognizes the "rights of unborn children". It defies the landmark decision of the US Supreme Court that protects the woman's right to abortion.
"This bill is simply about Roe v. Wade, "says Collins. The decision that was made in 1973 would not be the same as the one that was made today if you made the question again. "
His bill cites abolition, the civil rights movement and women's suffrage to justify the establishment of the fundamental rights of the fetus. Alabama is one of more than two dozen states that seek to restrict abortion rights this year, testing a federal legal precedent preventing states from abortion. to prohibit abortion before the fetus can survive outside the uterus.
The president of the Pro-Life Alabama Coalition, Eric Johnston, said that there was a reason why there is so much activity now. "The dynamics have changed," said Johnston. "Judges have changed, a lot of changes over this period, so I think we're about to take a bigger and bold step." The bold decision to outlaw almost all abortions is provoking protests from abortion rights advocates.
A coalition called Unite for Reproduction and Gender Equality demonstrated in front of the State of Alabama flag last month.
"This bill is a horrible distaff," said Amanda Reyes of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She is president of the Yellowhammer Fund, a group that helps women pay for abortions. "If you make the abortion illegal in a place that does not mean that the abortion goes away," said Reyes. "Access is becoming harder and more dangerous."
The bill is expected to win the final vote in the Republican-dominated Senate of Alabama. The Alabama ACLU has announced that it will take legal action if the ban on abortion becomes law.
Executive Director Randall Marshall said the bill was unconstitutional. "There is simply nothing that Alabama can do to impede the right of access to abortion," Marshall said. "It's a federal right and the federal Constitution clearly overrides all state laws." With two people appointed by Trump to the United States Supreme Court, anti-abortion forces are optimistic about the reversal of judicial interpretation.
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