Alabama Democrats Push for Exceptions in State’s Abortion Ban for Rape and Incest Cases

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
MOBILE, AL- Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile, Alabama, has filed legislation to allow exemptions for rape and incest in the state’s near-total abortion ban.
The ban, which went into effect this summer, allows no exceptions for rape or incest. Democrats in the Alabama Legislature are seeking to change this, but without Republican support, their efforts are unlikely to succeed.
Republicans hold large majorities in both the Alabama House of Representatives and the Senate. Despite this, Republicans in the state have shown some openness to revision of the abortion ban, with Rep. Terri Collins indicating a willingness to have conversations with fellow Republicans on the issue. However, the majority of Alabama voters in 2018 voted in favor of anti-abortion language in the state’s constitution, which abortion opponents argue would prevent lawmakers from adding exceptions to the ban.