The Alabama House Committee on Health on Wednesday considered a bill (HB 300) that would effectively ban abortion care in the state, AP/Modern Healthcare reports.
The committee debated the measure did not hold a vote on the bill (AP/Modern Healthcare, 3/23). The bill, if approved by the state Legislature, would be subject to voter approval in November.
Bill details
The "personhood" measure, sponsored by state Rep. Ed Henry (R), would amend the state constitution's definition of a person to "include any human being from the moment of fertilization or the functional equivalent thereof" (Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser, 3/23).
According to AP/Modern Healthcare, voters in Colorado, Mississippi and North Dakota have rejected ballot measures similar to the proposed Alabama bill. In addition, a similar amendment in Oklahoma was deemed unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court in 2012 (AP/Modern Healthcare, 3/23).
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Alabama lawmakers have proposed personhood amendments in the past, but the proposals have never been approved by the state Legislature (Montgomery Advertiser, 3/23).
Comments
Brock Boone, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the bill is an "attack on women." He noted that the measure does not include exceptions in cases of rape and incest and that it would criminalize some forms of contraception.
Boone said, "Proponents of this bill sound less and less concerned about the well-being of [fetuses] and more and more concerned about hostility toward women" (AP/Modern Healthcare, 3/23).
