Longtime televangelist Pat Robertson, who opposes abortion, criticized Alabama's near-total abortion ban that on Wednesday became the nation's most restrictive and one expected to face legal challenge.

"I think Alabama has gone too far," Robertson said Wednesday on "The 700 Club" before the bill was signed into law by Alabama's Republican Gov. Kay Ivey. "It's an extreme law.

"They want to challenge Roe v. Wade, but my humble view is that this is not the case that we want to bring to the Supreme Court, because I think this will lose."

Robertson cited the law's lack of exemptions for rape or incest and its punishment up to 99 years in prison for performing an abortion in the state.

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The law, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Terri Collins, makes performing an abortion in the state a felony punishable by 10 to 99 years or life in prison. Attempting an abortion would be a felony, with a prison sentence of one to 10 years.

The only exceptions to the ban would be a threat to the life of the mother; a mental illness where a birth might lead to a woman's death or the death of her child; or in the case of fetal anomalies where a child might be stillborn or die after birth.

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"I think it's ill-considered," Robertson told viewers on the Christian Broadcasting Network. The televangelist continued by criticizing the Roe v. Wade decision and emphasizing the need for strict abortion laws in the country.

"But the Alabama case, God bless them. They're trying to do something, but I don't think that's the case, and I don't want to bring it to the Supreme Court," Robertson said.

Collins and other supporters of the law said it is designed to take a challenge to Roe vs. Wade to the Supreme Court.

Legal experts, however, say the court might not reverse the 1973 decision by taking up cases on strict laws like Alabama's – even with the addition of conservative justices added by President Donald Trump. Taking on cases with lesser restrictions to chip away at abortion rights is more likely, experts say.

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Contributing: Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser, and Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller.