Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Thursday signed into law a first-of-its kind effort to prohibit abortion clinics from operating close to public schools that serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Supporters say the law would prevent students from being exposed to anti-abortion protests and demonstrations, which they say pose a risk to public safety.

Under the measure, state officials will not renew or issue licenses for abortion clinics that operate within 2,000 feet of these schools – a restriction some have compared to the type placed on sex offenders.

Bentley also signed a ban on a procedure called dilation and evacuation, or D&E, which is used to terminate a pregnancy during the second trimester. Opponents call the procedure "dismemberment abortion."

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy group that supports abortion rights, similar restrictions have been passed in Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama reportedly plans to challenge the new restrictions in court, and says the school-proximity law could cause two clinics to close, leaving open just three others in the state.