Federal Judge Blocks Alabama Abortion Law
A federal judge blocked Alabama’s strict abortion ban Tuesday, which was set to go into effect next month. U.S District Judge Myron Thompson issued a primary injunction Tuesday against the law, which would have made performing an abortion a felony in almost all cases. Abortion providers would face a sentence of up to 99 years in prison with no exception for rape or incest. The only exception is when there’s a serious health risk to the woman.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the law in May. Supporters of the law say it’s designed to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, Planned Parenthood and others sued in federal court arguing the near-total ban is unconstitutional.
“As expected, the court has blocked the law and it will not go into effect. Abortion remains legal in Alabama,” ACLU of Alabama Executive Director Randall Marshall said.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall echoed that the judge’s action was not a surprise.
“As we have stated before, the State’s objective is to advance our case to the U.S. Supreme Court where we intend to submit evidence that supports our argument that Roe and Casey were wrongly decided and that the Constitution does not prohibit states from protecting unborn children from abortion,” Marshall said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Ivey said in a statement she supports the attorney general. “This legislation passed with overwhelming support in the Alabama Legislature and was signed into law as a testament to Alabamians’ longstanding belief that every human life is sacred. We must continue doing all we can to protect life,” Ivey said.
Alabama’s law was one of several passed in states across the country this year that aimed to restrict abortion rights.
BREAKING: We just blocked Alabama’s abortion ban.
With this federal court ruling, it’s official: None of the state abortion bans passed earlier this year are in effect.
Abortion remains legal in all 50 states.
— ACLU (@ACLU) October 29, 2019
Updated 12:20 p.m. with statement from Gov. Ivey
Trump announces ‘major combat operations’ in Iran
Israel and the U.S. have launched strikes against Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran and air raid sirens sounding across Israel.
Trump says he is ‘not happy’ with the Iran nuclear talks but indicates he’ll give them more time
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he's "not happy" with the latest talks over Iran's nuclear program but indicated he would give negotiators more time to reach a deal to avert another war in the Middle East.
Bill Clinton says he ‘did nothing wrong’ with Epstein as he faced grilling over their relationship
Former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress on Friday that he "did nothing wrong" in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein's sexual abuse as he faced hours of grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago.
Pentagon puts Scouts ‘on notice’ over DEI and girl-centered policies
After threatening to sever ties with the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts, Defense Secretary Hegseth announced a 6-month reprieve
President Trump bans Anthropic from use in government systems
Trump called the AI lab a "RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY" in a social media post. The Pentagon also ordered all military contractors to stop doing business with Anthropic.
HUD proposes time limits and work requirements for rental aid
The rule would allow housing agencies and landlords to impose such requirements "to encourage self-sufficiency." Critics say most who can work already do, but their wages are low.
