Alabama 20-week ban, 2011

In 2011, Alabama passed an unconstitutional 20-week ban on abortion. The law bans all abortions after 20 weeks post-fertilization with only limited exceptions for situations in which an abortion would be necessary to either save a woman’s life or to prevent the risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. The law excludes mental health from this narrow health exception and prohibits a physician from performing an abortion even if he or she believes there is a risk that the woman may commit suicide or otherwise harm herself. The ban is currently in effect.

Alabama near-total ban, 2019

In April 2019, Alabama Representative Terri Collins (R-008) introduced a near-total abortion ban to criminalize all abortion or attempted abortion procedures, giving personhood rights to pregnancies. The bill, H 314, contained a narrow exception for lethal fetal anomalies or to save the life or preserve the health of a fetus, to deliver the fetus prematurely to avoid a serious health risk to the pregnant person, or to preserve the health of the fetus. There is also an exception for medical emergencies that would jeopardize the life or medical condition of the pregnant person. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill into law on May 15. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers in the state challenging H 314.