MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama’s Senate voted 25 to 6 yesterday to protect the lives of unborn children and ban all abortions in the state except when it “is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk” to the woman. The Senate passed the bill without exemptions in cases of rape and incest, and it will take effect six months after Republican Governor Kay Ivey signs it.
HB 314, known as the “Human Life Protection Act,” reclassifies abortion as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison for doctors. However, women who receive an abortion will not be criminally liable.
Alabama Rep. Terri Collins, a Republican who sponsored the bill said, “The heart of this bill is to confront a decision that was made by the courts in 1973 that said the baby in the womb is not a person. This bill addresses that one issue. Is that baby in the womb a person? I believe our law says it is. I believe our people say it is. And I believe technology shows it is.”
“I commend Alabama lawmakers for fighting for precious babies and passing this ban on the murder of innocent babies,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “Roe v. Wade has already ended the lives of more than 62 million children. While we cannot undo the horrendous damage that decades of legal precedence under Roe have caused, this bill is a significant step toward making the womb a safe place in Alabama again,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
