CBS news
PUBLISHED: 04/30/19 09:07 PM EDTUPDATED: 04/30/19 09:09 PM EDT
Alabama's House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a near-total abortion ban, a piece of legislation that the bill's sponsor called a "direct attack" on Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protects a woman's right to an abortion. Politicians in the statehouse voted against adding an amendment that would have added an exception for victims of rape and incest.
After several hours of contentious debate, Alabama politicians overwhelmingly passed House Bill 314, the "Human Life Protection Act," 74 to 3 on Tuesday evening, pushing the bill forward to the state Senate. Of the state's 105 representatives, 28 refused to vote after Republicans blocked the rape and incest amendment.
If passed into law, the legislation would criminalize abortion, classifying it as a Class A felony in Alabama. That means that a doctor caught performing abortions in the state would face up to 99 years in prison under the proposed law.