Montgomery, Ala. -- This week, state legislators pre-filed HB23, a bill that would ban abortion at 6 weeks of pregnancy and is similar to the abortion ban passed in Texas that is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court.
ACLU of Alabama reproductive rights staff attorney Kaitlin Welborn said:
"Alabama legislators have filed a bill that bans abortion at 6 weeks of pregnancy and pits neighbor against neighbor in an illegal bounty-hunting scheme. HB 23 mirrors the anti-abortion legislation that most recently passed in Texas, even though their abortion ban is deeply unpopular and blatantly unconstitutional. This 6-week abortion ban would also create a slippery slope, making it difficult or at times impossible for anyone to defend their civil rights and civil liberties in court, whether abortion, free speech, religious freedom, or otherwise.
Still, even though the U.S. Supreme Court just struck down part of the Texas bill that is identical to part of HB 23, that doesn't seem to matter to the representatives who are considering these laws. What we're seeing is a hostile minority forcing their values and policies upon the rest of the state, including patients who are trying to access the basic healthcare they need.
On behalf of the tens of thousands of Alabamians we represent, we oppose this legislation on the strongest terms and encourage the Legislature to avoid once again passing unconstitutional legislation that would be met with a costly challenge in court."
Full text of the bill is here: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/ALISON/SearchableInstruments/2022RS/PrintFiles/HB23-int.pdf