The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill making abortions a felony, punishable with up to 99 years in prison.
The bill, known as HB-314, is considered a Class A felony and does not make an exception in cases of rape and or incest. An attempted abortion is considered a Class C felony and holds a 10-year prison sentence.
The bill will make its way to the Republican-controlled Senate where it’s expected to pass. Rep. Terri Collins, who’s also the bill’s sponsor, said the purpose of the bill is to take another look and challenge the “the constitutionally-flawed Roe v. Wade decision.”
All Republicans voted in favor of the bill except for two who reportedly did not vote. Democrat Assistant Minority Leader Merika Coleman proposed an amendment that would use those Alabama lawmakers’ salaries who voted in favor of the bill to pay for any costs and or expenses.
“Roe v. Wade is the supreme law of the land. Because it is, we already know that this piece of legislation is going to be deemed unconstitutional,” Coleman said in a press conference.
The Alabama Civil Liberties Union said it hopes the Senate does not pass the bill but plans to sue if it does.
“It is unfortunate that members of the House are putting their personal beliefs ahead of what’s in the best interest of our state. The people of Alabama are paying the bill for unconstitutional legislation and we hope that the Senate members will realize its detrimental impact and stop this bill from becoming law. Otherwise, it will be challenged in federal court.”
