On Tuesday, the Alabama House voted to ban almost all abortions. Live Action News previously reported on the legislation, which is highly controversial. The Associated Press reports that the House of Representatives voted 74-3 in favor of the legislation. Pro-abortion Democrats walked out in protest before the final vote was held.
HB 314, the “Human Life Protection Act,” makes it a felony to commit an abortion at any stage of pregnancy except in very narrow circumstances.
The bill is intended to conflict with the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized elective abortion in all 50 states. The bill’s author, Rep. Terri Collins (R- Decatur), explained, “This bill is simply about Roe v. Wade. The decision that was made back in 1973 would not be the same decision that was decided upon today if you relooked at the issue.” She acknowledged that the law is likely to be struck down in the lower courts but stated that the goal is to eventually reach the Supreme Court.
READ: Alabama residents protest new Planned Parenthood abortion facility
The bill would make committing an abortion a felony for which an abortionist could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted. Mothers would not face criminal charges for undergoing an abortion. While lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have made an exception for cases of rape and incest, the bill does include exceptions for the life of the mother (although abortion is never necessary to save the life of the mother) and cases in which the preborn baby has a disability.
“This bill is focused on that baby that’s in the womb that is a person,” Collins said. “That baby, I believe, would choose life.”
Opponents of the bill claim it is political grandstanding that will needlessly cost Alabama money to defend in court. In the legislation, Collins compares abortion to other atrocities in human history including slavery and the Holocaust.
A supporter of the bill, Rep. Rich Wingo (R-Tuscaloosa) noted that an estimated 60 million preborn babies have been killed in abortions since Roe v. Wade and said, “I believe this chamber, this body, will never make a greater decision than today… protecting the life of an unborn child.”
The bill is expected to pass in the Alabama Senate.
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