PATIENTS BEHIND BARS

Alabama Lawmakers Introduce Bill Treating Abortion as Murder

The legislation would allow abortion patients to be prosecuted under state murder and assault charges

Alabama lawmakers have introduced a bill to allow people who obtain abortions to be prosecuted for murder. Despite promises from anti-abortion rights politicians that they would prosecute only abortion providers, not patients, Alabama state Rep. Ernie Yarbrough introduced a bill Tuesday that would amend the state penal code to include abortion under the umbrella of homicide and assault. (The bill contains limited exceptions for some instances of rape and domestic violence, and an exception to save the life of the patient “if all other reasonable alternatives to the medical care or treatment have been exhausted.”) The bill would grant fetuses the same rights as any person under the state criminal code. Alabama criminal law currently allows only for the prosecution of abortion providers and prohibits the prosecution of patients.