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Protestors At Anti-Abortion Rally

Alabama Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) introduced HB 314 today to ban abortions in Alabama.

The bill would make abortion and attempted abortion a Class A Felony offense except in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.

The bill does not hold a woman criminally culpable or civilly liable for receiving an abortion.

The ACLU was quick to respond via social media and a press release, stating their opposition to the bill and promising to sue should the bill pass and be signed into law.

Collins says that she hopes the bill goes all the way to the Supreme Court and that Roe vs Wade is overturned.

“It simply criminalizes abortion,” Collins said. “It is meant to actually use some of the same language that is addressed in Roe vs. Wade. So, hopefully it just completely takes it all the way to the Supreme Court eventually to overturn.”

The ACLU sees this as a waste of tax payer money.

“These lawsuits are a part of a plan to overturn Roe v. Wade at the Supreme Court. They know they will not win in federal, district, or appeals courts because these bills are flagrantly unconstitutional,” said Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama. “However, if a state loses in lower courts, appeals to the Supreme Court and is denied review, then they will owe potentially hundreds of thousands of taxpayer money in attorney fees. None of these states including Alabama can afford to throw money away like that.”

The ACLU posted a photo of a check that Alabama wrote them the last time they challenged abortion and lost.

Check written to the ACLU from State of Alabama

The state paid the ACLU and Planned Parenthood $1.7 million dollars in 2016, after the legislature passed a law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges. This requirement was struck down as unconstitutional.

There is also an similar bill, SB 211, in the Senate. That bill is sponsored by Greg Albritton (R-Range).