The Alabama House of Representives
passed four separate abortion measures Tuesday, one of which
would practically end abortion in the state by making the procedure
illegal once a fetal heartbeat is detected. This can happen as
early as six weeks into pregnancy—i.e., before many women even
realize they’re with child. The other abortion bills approved
Tuesday would:
- Extend the waiting period before abortions
from 24 to 48 hours - Require parents to
present a daughter’s birth certificate when giving parental
consent for her to have an abortion - Require women seeking an abortion because of lethal fetal
anomalies to
be couseled about “perinatal hospice services”
None of the latter three measures are likely to significantly
impact the abortion rate in Alabama (their ostensible goal). But
they do make the process more burdensome for those seeking
abortions, in keeping with anti-choice legislators’ punitive
bureaucracy strategy. The
ban on abortions after six weeks is also unlikely to impact
abortion rates, considering it will almost certainly be stymied by
the courts. Enforcement of similar bans in North Dakota and
Arkansas have been halted by federal judges.
So it’s not time to get all
worked up about lack of abortion access in Alabama yet—but it
is time for noting that, once again, legislators are wasting energy
on something they know full well is absolutely futile. Good
job, guys! You’ve made Alabama uteri exactly zero percent
safer for fetuses, all while wasting time and taxpayer
money… As Rep. Napoleon Bracy (D-Prichard) told her fellow
lawmakers:
“We already know this is unconstitutional before you even vote
on it. But you decide you want to vote on this so you can go back
home and say, ‘Look what I did.'”
Or so their’s can be the match that finally sparks a Supreme
Court challenge. Interestingly, the lawmakers behind the heartbeat
bill are making no qualms about admitting this is their strategy.
Generally, supporters of clearly unconstitutional abortion
restrictions will swear ’til they’re blue in the face that their
sole motive is babies/women/safety in their state. But Alabama
House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) and other supporters of the
measure admitted outright that their intent is to overturn Roe
v. Wade.
The four measures will now go to the state Senate.
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