Alabama Is The 4th State To File A Copycat Version Of Texas’ Extreme Abortion Ban

Pro-choice advocates warned a domino effect would happen in the wake of Texas’ extreme abortion restriction – and it’s officially underway. Alabama became the fourth state to file a Texas-style abortion restriction on Tuesday evening, mirroring the Lone Star State’s ban right down to the deputizing of private citizens.

State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R) filed Alabama’s House Bill 23 on Tuesday ahead of the 2022 legislative session with support from 23 other Republican state representatives. Just like the Texas restriction, H.B. 23 bans abortion around the six-week point, a point at which most people don’t yet know they’re pregnant.

The bill also encourages private citizens to sue “any person who performs or induces an abortion” or anyone who “aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion” after that point, the legislation states. This means that if a person in Alabama successfully sues under H.B. 23, they could receive a bounty of at least $10,000 and have all of their legal fees paid for by the opposing side.

Similar to the Texas law, H.B. 23 opens up any person or organization that helps pays for the cost of an abortion to civil action, which includes many practical organizations and abortion funds that are integral in the support of abortion seeking patients.