The senate in Alabama is heavily controlled by the Republican party and the legislation prohibiting abortion, was passed on a vote of 25-6.
Each of the 25 ‘yes’ votes was cast by a white man. Alabama’s Republican female governor, Kay Ivey, signed the bill into law.
Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious & that every life is a sacred gift from God. https://t.co/DwKJyAjSs8 pic.twitter.com/PIUQip6nmw
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) May 15, 2019
The bill, known as the Human Life Protection Act prohibits abortion or attempted abortion in the state, except “in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.”
It is now a class A felony for doctors to perform the procedure in Alabama, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. The new law provides no exception to scenarios involving rape or incest victims.
It goes further than any law in other US states and is just the latest push in a systematic restriction of women’s reproductive rights across the US.
Just last week, Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp signed the fetal heartbeat bill, legislation that prohibits abortions after a heartbeat is detected in an embryo (usually 5-6 weeks into a pregnancy, before most women know that they are pregnant). Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi have also passed the fetal heartbeat bill, while in North Dakota and Iowa, similar bills have been blocked by the courts.
One in four American women obtain an abortion at some point in their life.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blasted Human Life Protection Act, stating “religious fundamentalists are working hard to outlaw sex that falls outside their theology.”
“Abortion bans aren’t just about controlling women’s bodies,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“Ultimately, this is about women’s power. When women are in control of their sexuality, it threatens a core element underpinning right-wing ideology: patriarchy.”
“It’s a brutal form of oppression to seize control of the 1 essential thing a person should command: their own body.”
Abortion bans aren’t just about controlling women’s bodies.
They’re about controlling women’s sexuality. Owning women.
From limiting birth control to banning comprehensive sex ed, US religious fundamentalists are working hard to outlaw sex that falls outside their theology.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 16, 2019