Alabama committee advances bill to outlaw abortion
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama committee advanced one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the nation, a measure that would make performing an abortion a felony.
The House Health Committee voted Wednesday to send the bill to the House floor.
Republican Rep. Terri Collins said the goal of her bill is to spark a court case to challenge the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
The bill makes exemptions if a mother's health is in danger but not if she has been raped.
Democratic Rep. Neil Rafferty said the legal fight over the ban will waste taxpayer dollars at a time when the state has pressing health care needs.
The committee approved the bill after a public hearing in which several women described their past experience with abortion decisions.