Abortions are Still Happening Legally in Alabama
Praise God that Roe is overturned and the abortion clinics in Alabama are closed!
Sadly abortions are still happening legally in our state thanks to an exception in Alabama law.
Section13A-6-1 of the Code of Alabama says:
"Nothing in Article 1 or Article 2 (Alabama Homicide and Assault Laws) shall permit the prosecution of any person for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman or a person authorized by law to act on her behalf has been obtained or for which consent is implied by law or any woman with respect to her unborn child."
In layman's terms, abortions cannot be prosecuted as murder in Alabama, creating one set of laws that protects born people from murder and another set of laws regarding the termination of preborn life.
This is the sin of partiality. It is unequal weights and measures, and the Lord hates it.
Since abortions cannot be stopped under Alabama homicide law, we must look to a different set of laws to see who can and cannot kill preborn children and under what circumstances this act is acceptable under law.
§26-23H of the Code of Alabama is what is commonly called the “Human Life Protection Act.” This is the predominant pro-life law in Alabama and is the law that led to the shut down of the abortion clinics.
The Human Life Protection Act still allows babies to be murdered in the womb if a doctor finds it necessary to kill the child to prevent a “serious health risk” to the mother.
This law also states that “No woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to be performed shall be criminally or civilly liable” which means it is not illegal for the mother of a preborn child to take the life of the child in her womb using an abortion pill or almost any other means.
Abortion Drugs are Being Smuggled into Alabama
Since the abortion clinics are closed, pro-abortion advocates are taking full advantage of these legal loopholes to continue aborting babies in Alabama.
Organizations like Aid Access and Mayday.Health boast that abortions are still legal for the mother to carry out in all 50 states.
Entire networks of drug smuggling rings are forming to supply abortive mothers with abortion pills.
In August 2022, Business Insider reported that "hundreds of Americans a week are seeking abortion help from Mexico." In that report, they detail an underground network of abortion activists smuggling abortions drugs into our state.
One activist they interviewed said "the majority of calls are coming from Americans living in states with "trigger laws" such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas."
Additionally, federal law allows abortion drugs to be mailed anywhere in the country.
Pro-abortion forces are trumpeting this information all over the internet and directing women who want abortions to the many available sources to order their own abortion pills, even for free! Information on how to DIY your abortion at home with pills is not hard to find. A simple Google search turns up multiple sources very quickly.
These organizations aren’t hiding what they are doing because it’s not illegal for women to abort their babies in this way.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a rare occurrence. A recent study found that 1 out of every 3 women seeking an abortion would resort to self-managed (DIY) abortions if they didn't have access to a clinic.
Another study found that approximately 7% of women reported having attempted self-managed abortions even while abortion was still legal!
The fight to end abortion in Alabama is not over. Please don’t rest on the false assurance that comes with knowing the abortion clinics are closed. Abortions are still happening in houses across our state.
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So what can be done?
The Church Must Pray
First, pray for our elected officials, specifically for our state legislators. The 2023 Alabama Legislative Session began on Tuesday, March 7. Ask the Lord to guide our elected officials to carry out justice and honor their role as His deacons for good.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. - 1 Timothy 2:1-2
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. - Proverbs 21:1
The Church Must Urge Repentance
As Christians, we are to engage with the world and call them to repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He alone has the power to forgive the abortionist.
He alone has the power to forgive the abortive mother.
He alone has the power to forgive the elected officials who continue to ignore the calls for justice in our state.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? - Romans 10:14
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Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Acts 3:19-21
Be bold when exposing the sins and idols of this age, knowing there is grace and forgiveness in Christ for all who will believe.
The Church Must Call for Justice
Government is instituted by God to punish those who do evil and reward those who do good (1 Peter 2).
In America, we enjoy the blessings of a government by the people, but that means we bear the responsibility of unjust governance as well.
It is incumbent upon all citizens of our state to advocate for justice when our elected officials fall short of this standard.
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. - Proverbs 17: 15
Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Isaiah 10:1-4
Perhaps the best way to engage with your elected officials is to call them and email them.
When constituents make it clear what they want, politicians tend to listen.
To easily find the contact information for your lawmakers, visit https://www.votervoice.net/ALStateSenate/address
Ask your State Representative and State Senator to support Rep. Yarbrough’s bill of equal protection. Ask them to cosponsor the bill, publicly support equal protection of the laws for preborn children, and vote for this legislation every chance they get.
To stay up-to-date on the status of this legislation, check out www.EndAbortionAL.org for the latest news.