(CNN) On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Alabama state legislature passed a measure that would ban abortion -- with the exception of when the life of the mother is in jeopardy -- in all circumstances. The state's Republican governor -- Kay Ivey -- signed it on Wednesday, meaning two things will happen: 1) Alabama will become the state with the country's most restrictive abortion law and 2) the law will immediately become fodder for the swirling debate over if (and when) the Supreme Court might consider overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

That two-pronged goal was clearly the intent of the bill's sponsor -- state Rep. Terry Collins (R), who said after the vote: "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."

It quite clearly will challenge the ruling, since prohibiting abortion in all but one case seems to directly come into conflict with the Supreme Court's finding that it is against the law to place an "undue burden" on a woman seeking an abortion before a viable fetus -- one that can live outside the womb -- emerges. And while the Alabama law is the strictest in the nation -- and therefore most at-odds with established federal law -- is it far from the only piece of abortion legislation that seeks to push the boundaries of Roe. Last month, Ohio Gov . Mike DeWine signed a so-called "fetal heartbeat" law , which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can come as early as the 6-week mark -- a time when some women may still not even know they are pregnant. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a similar measure earlier this month.

These laws will almost immediately be appealed -- and will join a growing list of cases that could arrive at the doorstep of the Supreme Court in the not-too-distant future. The court is poised in upcoming months to consider hearing a challenge to a Louisiana law that would force doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where an abortion is performed, a stricture that those opposed to the law insist violates the "undue burden" notion. According to CNN Supreme Court expert Joan Biskupic, the court calendar could well mean that a ruling on the Louisiana law comes down in the summer of 2020 -- right in the heart of the presidential campaign.

Now, the court rejected a Texas law very similar to the Louisiana one back in 2016. But -- and this is the point -- that was a very, very different court. For starters, there were only eight members. Senate Republicans refused to meet with or hold confirmation hearings for then-President Barack Obama's nominee -- Merrick Garland -- citing the fact that it was too close to a presidential election for the outgoing Obama to make such a consequential pick. When that ninth spot on the court was eventually filled, it was with Neil Gorsuch, a conservative selected by President Donald Trump.

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