Today is Pro-Life Day in Alabama.
At least, that’s according to Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and other leaders in the state legislature.
Lawmakers are set to debate a variety of bills concerning abortion and other pro-life issues today. One would ban physician-assisted suicide in Alabama. Another would protect health care providers in the state who refuse to perform abortions. But the measure attracting the most attention is a constitutional amendment that would officially declare Alabama a “right to life” state. Bill sponsor, Representative Matt Fridy, says the amendment would make clear that nothing in the Alabama constitution guarantees a right to abortion.
Dr. Joe Godfrey is the executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program. He’s pleased to see the focus on pro-life issues in the legislature.
“For so long, our legislature has not addressed these issues. I mean, we’ve passed a few bills through the years, but we feel like there’s so much more that can be done to protect life and to make sure people understand the importance of it, that it’s not something you just can take at will.”
The ACLU of Alabama says even if the constitutional amendment passes – right now, it’s effectively meaningless since the right to an abortion is legal as interpreted by the Supreme Court