The bill was introduced in the
Alabama House of Representatives on April 2, 2019, by Terri Collins, a
Republican representing
Decatur. In the
Alabama Senate, Republican
Clyde Chambliss sponsored Collins' legislation. Eric Johnson, the president of the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition, wrote the Human Life Protection Act.
Provisions The Human Life Protection Act bans abortions at any stage of a pregnancy. The law provides for exceptions in cases where a fetus has a lethal anomaly (a medical condition that would cause the fetus to be
stillborn or to die shortly following birth), or in cases where a pregnancy would "present serious health risk" to the woman. The law does not ban procedures to end
ectopic pregnancies. It does not include an exception in cases of rape or incest. An attempt at performing an illegal abortion is classified by the bill as a Class C felony.
Debate Anthony Daniels, the
Democratic minority leader of the House of Representatives, proposed an amendment to the bill that would allow abortions in cases of rape and incest, but it was rejected by a vote of 72–26. Collins opposed the amendment, and stated: "My goal with this bill is to let the Supreme Court possibly revisit [the
Roe v. Wade] decision on just the issue that they made that decision, which was, is that baby in the womb a
person." A day after the bill's passage in the House of Representatives, Democratic representative
John Rogers endorsed a woman's choice to choose, but then stated: "Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or kill them later. You bring them into the world unwanted, unloved, then you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now, or you kill them later. But the bottom line is that I think we shouldn't be making this decision." An amendment that would have allowed abortions for rape and incest victims failed in the Senate by a vote of 21–11. After the amendment's rejection, Democratic minority leader
Bobby Singleton said: "You just aborted and you raped the state of Alabama. All of you should be put in jail for this abortion that you just laid on the state of Alabama. This is just a shame. This is a disgrace. It is a travesty." The minority leader sought to
filibuster the legislation, but the Senate voted to end debate after four and a half hours of argumentation. In the Senate debate, Chambliss argued that under the bill, a woman who was pregnant due to rape or incest still could legally get an abortion "until she knows she's pregnant"; During the debate,
Vivian Davis Figures asked Chambliss if he knew "what it's like to" suffer rape or incest, to which he answered that he didn't in both cases. Figures proposed an amendment that would make men who have
vasectomies guilty of a Class A felony, and those who attempt to have a vasectomy guilty of a Class C felony. On the Senate floor,
Linda Coleman-Madison said: "This bill is about control."
Vote and enactment On April 30, 2019, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives along a
party-line vote of 74–3. In the
Alabama Senate, Republican
Clyde Chambliss sponsored Collins' legislation. The bill was set to enter into effect in November 2019, but implementation has been delayed by a legal challenge against the legislation.
House of Representatives Senate == Legal challenge ==