May 19, 2019

Alabama abortion ban: Hundreds protest in state Capitol

Rebecca Falconer

A protest in Birmingham, Alabama, against the state's tough new abortion laws. — Pro-abortion rights protesters in Alabama. Photo: Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of demonstrators marched to Alabama’s state Capitol to protest the restrictive new abortion ban Saturday, AL.com first reported.

Details: Many protesters chanted, "My body, my choice," AP reports. Planned Parenthood Southeast CEO and president Staci Fox told the crowd: "Banning abortion does not stop abortion. It stops safe abortion."

Why it matters: Alabama is the latest conservative state to pass a bill aimed at limiting abortions, but it is the most restrictive in the U.S. State lawmakers have said their eventual aim is to challenge abortion protections that have existed at the federal level since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

The big picture: President Trump criticized conservative abortion bans that don't make exceptions for rape and incest cases and when a woman's life is threatened, as is the case with the Alabama bill Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law. Many 2020 hopefuls have publicly opposed the push for strict abortion laws, including Trump's only major GOP primary challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.

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Alabama abortion ban: Hundreds protest in state Capitol

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