Birmingham, Alabama. Having already banned abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, without exceptions for rape or incest, Alabama legislators are now considering a new bill that closes further doors to abortion,
Under a proposed bill allegedly authored by former state chief justice Roy Moore, but which has not yet been formally introduced, female residents of Alabama who have an abortion out-of-state would be subject to prosecution under existing Alabama homicide laws.
"A fetus with a heartbeat is a citizen of Alabama," said one proponent. "We have a sacred duty to protect that citizen. This bill will deter women who might go to an abortion-loving state where an act of murder is performed on a fetus that would be protected in Alabama. The woman has committed what amounts to premeditated murder, and if the state where the abortion occurs won't act, Alabama will."
If introduced, the bill is expected to pass overwhelmingly and the governor will surely sign it.
