Proposed Bill Could Ban Abortion in Alabama

A proposed Alabama constitutional amendment would legally define a fetus as a person from the moment of fertilization, effectively banning abortion in the state.

The state House Health Committee on Wednesday heard testimony about it, though lawmakers didn’t vote on the amendment. Similar proposals in other states have failed to win federal court approval.

Supporters of the bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Ed Henry, asked the committee to allow Alabama citizens to vote on the issue.

Dr. Jim Belyew, an OB/GYN who spoke in support of the bill, says a baby is a “new person” and is “totally separate” from the mother. The mother “only contributes the egg and the incubator,” Belyew said.

Brock Boone, an ACLU lawyer, called the bill an “attack on women.”

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