WASHINGTON – The Alabama Legislature passed a bill banning abortion in that southern state Tuesday, challenging the legality of this practice in the United States, enshrined in a Supreme Court ruling of 1973.
The Upper House of Alabama approved the bill by 25 votes in favor and 6 against after the House made it in April, so the approval of the text is now in the hands of the governor, Kay Ivey, who you must ratify it.
Ivey, a Republican, has not expressed support for the project at the moment.
The bill approved by the Legislature is the most restrictive of those processed to date in the US. and prohibits abortion even in cases of rape and incest, only allowing it when the health of the mother is in danger.
The amendment introduced by the Democrats to allow abortion in the text of rape and incest was rejected by 21 votes to 11.
The promoters of the project are aware that the law will not enter into force, at least for now, as it contradicts the Supreme Court ruling of 1973 known as “Roe v. Wade,” which legalized the practice of abortion throughout the country.
Their goal, however, is to start a legal battle to bring the bill to the High Court so that its judges can reconsider the 1973 ruling and therefore the legality of abortion in the United States.
“This project is going to challenge ‘Roe v. Wade’ and protect the lives of the unborn,” acknowledged her promoter, Republican Rep. Terri Collins.
“This is the path by which we will eventually get where we want to go,” he added.
In U.S.A. abortion is legal to practice since 1973 when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional any interference by the State in the decision of the woman about the pregnancy.
In recent years, however, the conservative movement has tried to get the High Court, right-wing majority, to re-examine its constitutionality to reverse the 1973 decision.
The arrival of Donald Trump to the White House and the Supreme Court appointments of Conservative judges Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have brought renewed hope for those who long for its ban.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has tried to overcome this ruling by adopting rules that hinder access to abortion protected by religious rights and women’s health.
Trump, in addition, has withdrawn public funding to family planning clinics that offer abortions, a measure aimed primarily at Planned Parenthood, the largest of these organizations in the country against which conservatives have a crusade. (EFEUSA)
