May 15, 2019

One of strongest pro-life bills in U.S. heads to Alabama governor’s desk

One of strongest pro-life bills in U.S. heads to Alabama governor’s desk
On Tuesday, April 30th, the Alabama House voted 74-3 in favor of HB 314, the Human Life Protection Act, which would — according to the text of the bill itself — “make abortion and attempted abortion felony offenses except in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.” The bill “would provide that a woman who receives an abortion will not be held criminally culpable or civilly liable for receiving the abortion.” Only the doctor committing the abortion would be held criminally liable.

On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate passed the bill in a 25-6 vote, which means it will now be sent to the governor for a signature. As ABC News points out, this bill is different from “heartbeat bills” like the one that was recently signed into law in Georgia. Alabama’s bill, which now heads to Governor Kay Ivey for her signature, provides no exemptions for rape or incest, but allows an exemption “in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” according to the bill. Ivey is pro-life, and in the past has reportedly “made statements supporting pro-life positions, including bans without exceptions for rape or incest,” according to AL.com, though she has not publicly stated whether she would sign the bill.  Click here for more.