The Alabama Senate Health Committee on Wednesday approved two antiabortion-rights measures, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.
Both bills now advance to the full state Senate.
'Heartbeat' ban
The committee voted 7-1 to approve a bill (SB 9) that would ban abortion care as early as five weeks into pregnancy. Under the bill, a physician could not provide abortion care to a woman once the fetal heartbeat is detectable. The ban includes exceptions for instances in which the woman's life is in danger or in the case of fatal fetal anomalies. It does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
Physicians who violate the ban could be charged with a Class C felony, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $15,000.
At the hearing on Wednesday, JoAnn Cummings, an Alabama resident, questioned whether the state could afford the high legal costs of defending a law that would almost certainly be struck down in federal court. According to the Advertiser, federal courts have struck down similar bans in North Dakota and Arkansas. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the ruling against the North Dakota measure (HB 1456).
Another state resident, Xandi Andersen, also voiced concerns about the measure, noting that no stage of pregnancy "makes the woman's body anybody's but her own."
According to the Advertiser, Alabama Rep. Terri Collins (R) has proposed a similar bill (HB 21) in the state House. At a hearing last month, Collins indicated that supporters are willing to defend the legislation if it is challenged in court.
Fetal tissue restrictions
The Alabama Senate Health Committee on Wednesday also advanced a bill (HB 45) that would ban fetal tissue sales in the state. The bill passed in the state House last month (Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser, 3/9).
The measure follows the release this summer of misleading videos targeting Planned Parenthood's fetal tissue donation program. Planned Parenthood denied any wrongdoing, and multiple state and federal investigations into the organization have not found that the organization committed any of the actions alleged in the videos (Women's Health Policy Report, 1/26).
During the committee meeting, state Sen. Billy Beasley (D) questioned the reasoning behind the bill, asking, "As a matter of record, there's been no sale of body parts in the state of Alabama, is that correct?" State Sen. Bill Hightower (R) responded that he was unaware of any such incident (Montgomery Advertiser, 3/9).
