What They're Saying: Alabama's 'Extreme' Abortion Ban

What's the story?

Politicians and pundits are responding to Alabama's passage a near-total abortion ban, that makes no exceptions for rape or incest.

The Human Life Protection Act bans all abortions in the state except when "abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk" to the mother. The bill also criminalizes the procedure, reclassifying it as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison for doctors.

What people are saying

2020 presidential candidates

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) tweeted: "Outrageous news coming out of Alabama. This law would effectively ban abortions in the state and criminalize doctors for doing their jobs - providing health care to women."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) tweeted: "I'll say it again: The Georgia and Alabama abortion bans are wrong. They are dangerous. They are unconstitutional. And they are out of step with the majority of Americans."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted: "What Alabama is doing is blatantly unconstitutional and disrespects the fundamental right a woman has to make decisions about her own body."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tweeted: "This ban is dangerous and exceptionally cruel—and the bill’s authors want to use it to overturn Roe v. Wade. I've lived in that America and let me tell you: We are not going back—not now, not ever. We will fight this. And we will win."

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) tweeted: "Anti-choice members of the Missouri Senate just passed another abortion ban in the dead of night. Let me repeat—this is a coordinated effort to repeal Roe v. Wade. It's wrong, it's unconstitutional and we need to codify Roe so it doesn't work."

Republicans

The White House and Republican lawmakers have been noticeably silent on the law, and those who have spoken up have criticized the bill.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said the law "is so extreme that I can’t imagine that the courts would sustain it....I’m not going to try to predict court cases, but I cannot imagine that that law won’t be overturned.”
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he opposes the bill as it "goes further than I believe.”

“I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, and that’s what I’ve voted on,” McCarthy said at his weekly news conference Thursday.

• “I have supported consistently the Hyde Amendment, which is the federal law,” said Alabama's senior senator, Richard Shelby (R), when asked about his state’s bill. (The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion except in cases of rape and incest.)
• Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R), who presides over the state Senate chamber, tweeted:

• Alabama state Rep. Terri Collins (R), who sponsored the bill, said after its passage:

"This bill is about challenging Roe v. Wade and protecting the lives of the unborn, because an unborn baby is a person who deserves love and protection."

What do you have to say?

Do you support Alabama’s Human Life Protection Act? Do you hope more states pass similar abortion laws? Do you hope this reaches the Supreme Court and they overturn Roe v. Wade? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman