The pro-life movement won another victory Tuesday when the Alabama state Senate passed a bill that would outlaw all abortions, save for those required to save a mother’s life.
The bill already passed the Alabama state House last month, meaning it now heads to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey to possibly be signed into law. It remains unclear whether she plans to sign it.
“The governor intends to withhold comment until she has had a chance to thoroughly review the final version of the bill that passed,” the governor’s deputy press secretary reportedly said.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is refusing to say whether she will sign this near-total abortion ban.
“The governor intends to withhold comment until she has had a chance to thoroughly review the final version of the bill that passed.”#alpolitics #HB317 #abortiondebate
— Chip Brownlee (@ByChipBrownlee) May 15, 2019
Were Ivey to sign HB317 into law, abortions in Alabama would be banned at every stage of pregnancy, and abortionist “doctors” would face up to 99 years in prison for violating the rule. Those simply caught trying to perform an abortion would meanwhile face 10 years in prison.
The only exception would apply to instances wherein the mother’s life is at risk. The bill doesn’t contain exceptions for rape or incest, despite repeated attempted by state Democrats to pressure state Republicans into inserting such exceptions into the final bill.
State Democrats also tried inserting bizarre amendments that would have reportedly banned vasectomies and also expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Sponsored by state Rep. Terri Collins, the bill doesn’t contain exceptions for rape or incest because Collins had felt that allowing such exceptions would “dilute the bill’s argument for the personhood of the fetus,” according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Speaking with the Advertiser, Collins noted that she does support allowing exceptions for rape/incest and pointed out that she’d made prior attempts to push a simple heartbeat bill that would have banned abortions in cases where a baby’s heartbeat could be detected. However, those efforts failed.
“I have prayed my way through this issue and this bill, because it was hard to give up heartbeat,” she said. “I believe we can’t get a heartbeat bill until we get Roe v. Wade turned over.”
And therein lies the key purpose of her legislation — to offer the first legitimate pathway toward repealing Roe v. Wade, which the pro-life community has sought to do for decades.
“I would say that we’re all very pleased to have this done,” Collins said at a press conference following the vote. “We’re excited about the possibilities that it could mean. It’s been difficult at times, and then at times it’s been really good. I felt really good about it all the way through.”
Watch the presser below:
Rep. Terri Collins and Sen. Clyde Chambliss discuss passing the nation’s strictest anti-abortion bill, which would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion in Alabama.
Posted by al.com on Tuesday, May 14, 2019
The lack of a rape/incest exception infuriated state Senate Democrats.
“You just raped every woman who’s been raped by a man. You just raped her all over again,” state Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton reportedly said in anger.
But Collins reiterated that hurting rape/incest victims isn’t her goal.
“I’ve answered many emails from people who have poured out their hearts with real stories that were true,” she reportedly said. “My goal with this bill is not to hurt them in any way.”
“My goal with this bill, and I think all of our goal, is to have Roe vs. Wade turned over, and that decision be sent back to the states so that we can come up with our laws that address and include amendments and things that address those issues.”
In an ideal world, abortion would be neither legal nor illegal on the federal stage, or so the pro-life community has long argued. Instead the issue would be relegated to the states.
If Ivey does ultimately sign the bill into law, legal challenges are expected, not that state Republicans mind. To them, it’s a price worth paying to protect unborn babies.
“Life is a gift of our creator and we must do everything that we can to protect life,” state Sen. Clyde Chambliss, a fervent supporter of Collins’ bill, reportedly said. “And if it is a couple of million dollars, that is a small, small price for those lives.”
Tuesday’s victory for the pro-life movement came only days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, signed his state’s own pro-life bill into law.
Dubbed the “Heartbeat Bill,” the legislation banned abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy. Why? Because it’s around the 7th or so week that an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected by medical equipment, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
In response, Hollywood liberals began pulling their filming operations out of the state and even launched a so-called sex strike. It’s unclear if Alabama will suffer the same fate.
What’s clear is that Hollywood, whose Los Angeles-based members seem to believe they reserve the right to direct the political affairs of other states, isn’t happy.
Observe:
Not one uterus. NOT ONE UTERUS. https://t.co/WDnTzrU00Z
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 15, 2019
Y’all need to stop saying Alabama or Georgia lawmakers are hicks or hillbillies etc. What they are is systematically dismantling women’s rights one state at a time to eventually overturn Roe v Wade and before long it will be your state legislators.
— roxane gay (@rgay) May 15, 2019
There is a cold place in hell for the Alabama Senate.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) May 15, 2019
This is absolutely unbelievable. If you’re not worried about roe v wade, you’re not paying attention. This is why voting matters!! https://t.co/gZ5lrj7tQ1
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) May 15, 2019
Do what the Alabama government refuses to do: help women by donating to the https://t.co/VxouPOI5gt. Donating is as easy as flicking an embryo out of a uterus should be.
— Michelle Wolf (@michelleisawolf) May 15, 2019
In Alabama, life begins at rape.
— Jena Friedman (@JenaFriedman) May 15, 2019
Yes, the news out of Alabama tonight is HORRIFYING. Rapists are facing less jail time than a doctor who performs an abortion on a rape victim. See below for where you can donate to help fight and hopefully reverse this sheer evil. https://t.co/wxjC2VVUcv
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 15, 2019
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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