Wednesday morning, Alabama’s Senate passed a bill banning access to abortion. They voted in 25-6, allowing exceptions only “to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” or if  “the unborn child has a lethal anomaly.” Alabama Democrats introduced an amendment allowing for the exemption for victims of rape or incest, but the motion failed.

Other states, like Georgia and Ohio, have six-week bans, called a “heartbeat bill”, which prevents women from getting abortions after six weeks. At the six-week mark, a fetal heartbeat can be detected, but has no brain activity and is approximately the size of a pea. Most women are unaware that they are pregnant at this point.

Alabama’s bill goes against the ruling of the United States Supreme Court Case Roe v. Wade from 1973. This case ruled (7–2) that unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. The bill, called the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, will likely be appealed to the supreme court. But, with a right-leaning court, Alabamians (and other anti-choice advocates) are anticipating a possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.

According to CNN, “When Democratic state Sen. Rodger Smitherman asked what would happen under the bill to a young girl who was a victim of incest and found out she was pregnant, Chambliss said that he hoped that the bill would result in young women learning to seek physical and mental help quickly if they are abused.”

LHS Senior Sara Bitter is afraid. “What happens when we stop fighting? The government has made women afraid. We need to be fighting.”