Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser Published 10:08 p.m. ET May 14, 2019 | Updated 10:08 p.m. ET May 14, 2019
MONTGOMERY, Ala. The Alabama Senate on Tuesday passed a bill criminalizing abortion in nearly all cases, approving the most sweeping restrictions on the procedure in the United States and almost certainly guaranteeing a legal challenge.
The measure passed the Senate 25-6 after more than four hours of often emotional debate that at one point led to the introduction of spectators who had abortions after being raped. The chamber rejected putting exceptions in for rape and incest on a 21-11 vote.
The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who has not indicated whether she would sign it.
Sponsored by Republican Rep. Terri Collins, the bill would make it a felony punishable by life or 10 to 99 years in prison to perform an abortion in the state of Alabama. Attempting to perform an abortion would be a felony, punishable by one to 10 years in prison.
Alabama abortion bill approved in state Senate; bill goes to governor
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This will certainly go to the Supreme Court. I will be interested in seeing how the largely Republican Supreme Court votes on this.
I do not believe that the leaders of the Republican Party really want the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court Decision of 1973 to be overturned. The Roe decision led to the creation of the religious right. This is a mass movement of largely lower middle class whites who rarely have much enthusiasm for Republican tax cuts for the rich. Most evangelical whites voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Because President Carter avoided the abortion issue, anti abortion evangelicals and Roman Catholics became disenchanted with him.
In 1979 Jerry Falwell formed the Moral Majority. This persuaded Evangelicals to abandon a sincere, born again Christian president to vote for a man who had signed a law legalizing abortion as governor of California, who had divorced his first wife, and who rarely attended church.
Since then the Republican Party has been dancing an awkward pirouette around the abortion issue. Every four years the Republican Party platform condemns abortion. Nevertheless, when Republican presidents have Republican Senates they somehow manage to avoid advancing justices to the Supreme Court who overturn the Roe decision when they have the opportunity to do so.
As long as abortion is off the table democratically, pro abortion people who vote Republican because of economic issues feel that it is safe for them to do so. Anti abortion people who lack enthusiasm for Republican economic policies vote Republican because for them social issues are more important than economic issues.
Donald Trump has promised Evangelicals that he will appoint anti abortion justices to the Supreme Court. Therefore most Evangelicals support Trump even though his piety is even more dubious than Reagan's.
Speaking for myself, I am in favor of legal abortion, but I dislike the Roe vs Wade decision. I think it was a flimsy piece of legal reasoning. I also believe that the Democrat Party will benefit if Roe is overturned.
