BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — In the days following the United States Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the Alabama House Democratic Caucus has responded to the news of the court turning abortion rights back to the states.
On Monday, the caucus released a statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case out of Mississippi that led to the overruling of Roe v. Wade:
“Alabama House Democrats have long championed a woman’s right to choose. The recent ruling in Dobbs has immediately and negatively impacted women and Alabama families. Sadly, the ‘trigger’ law in Alabama that was passed by the Republican supermajority in 2019 is now in effect and is one of the nation’s most restrictive. In 2019, after many hours of debate when it became clear that the GOP was intent on passing a total ban without Democratic support, Minority Leader Daniels introduced an amendment to this bill to at least allow for protections against rape and incest. His amendment was voted down by the Republican Supermajority. This means that Republicans are the reason that rape and incest is not included in the 2019 law. Despite this, Alabama Democrats have continued to propose legislation and support policies to expand women’s rights and access to affordable health care.
“Alabama House Democrats strongly believe in women’s rights and will continue to make women’s health care issues a top priority. To be clear, we oppose the Dobbs decision because we believe it will have an unprecedented negative impact on women throughout Alabama and disproportionately affect those that have been historically underserved and underrepresented.
“Notwithstanding this harmful decision, we will continue our efforts to protect women’s rights, increase their ability to access affordable health care, and to increase their opportunities.
“Women in Alabama are strong and important leaders of our families, communities, and economy, and they should be empowered to make their own decisions.”
Following SCOTUS’ decision, Alabama was one of several states that enacted newer, more restrictive abortion laws. Among the tenets of Alabama’s abortion law is the performing of an abortion be a criminal offense, as well as no exemptions for either rape or incest.