Alabama Senate votes to ban almost all abortions, sending measure to governor's desk

The Alabama Senate on Tuesday evening passed legislation that bans nearly all abortions in the state, sending the measure to Gov. Kay Ivey's (R) desk to be signed into law.

Ivey has not said whether she will sign the measure, which passed by a 25-6 margin. It would ban abortions in virtually all instances in Alabama, including for victims of rape and incest, and would only permit the procedure if necessary to save a mother’s life.

Anyone performing an abortion could be punished by 10 to 99 years in prison, but no criminal charges would be filed against a person undergoing the procedure.

The legislation was tabled last week when a shouting match erupted on the Senate floor after an exception for cases of rape and incest was removed from the bill.

The bill’s proponents say they hope the legislation, along with abortion restrictions in other states, will set up a Supreme Court battle that will see the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that was the first to legalize abortion.

State Rep. Terri Collins (R), who sponsored the bill, told The Washington Post she empathized with survivors of rape and incest but that the exceptions were specifically left out so that the law would be strong enough to force a federal court battle.

Sixteen states have passed or are currently considering abortion bans once a fetal heartbeat is detected about six weeks into pregnancy. Four states have approved so-called heartbeat abortion laws.