Alabama Senate Bill, SB301, passed the Senate 23-7. Last minute changes
to the bill changed it from a personhood bill, which would have banned
all abortions, to a ban of all surgical abortions and many chemical
abortions. If the bill passes the House, it will be the first time in
state history that all surgical abortions will be outlawed since Roe v.
Wade.
The original text, introduced by Senator Phil Williams, read: “The term
‘persons’ as used in the Code of Alabama 1975, shall include any human
being from the moment of fertilization or the functional equivalent
thereof.”
The amended text now reads “The term ‘persons’ as used in the Code of
Alabama 1975, shall include any human being from the moment of
fertilization and implantation into the womb.”
“Personhood bills and amendments make all abortion illegal. We recognize
the good intentions of the senators who changed SB301, but grieve that
it will still be legal to kill unique individual human beings with some
chemical abortions or in a laboratory,” says Jennifer Mason,
spokesperson for Personhood USA. “Just yesterday, LifeSiteNews.com
reported that a woman had given birth to a healthy baby boy who
implanted in his mother’s abdomen. This baby boy implanted outside of
his mother’s womb, and therefore would not be considered a person
according to the changes made to SB301. The simple truth is that
embryology textbooks agree that human life begins at fertilization—not implantation.”
Personhood USA applauds Senator Williams for defending his bill and
attempting to protect all children, no matter their age, size, or
location. SB301, while certain to save lives, still falls short of the
high standard and goals of Personhood rights for ALL innocent human
beings.
Ben DuPre, of Personhood Alabama and the Foundation for Moral Law, is
now calling for a Constitutional Personhood amendment to ensure that no
child is left behind.
“What this means is that Alabama still needs a constitutional amendment
to let the people decide and to extend protection to all human life from
the moment of fertilization,” explains DuPre. “Hopefully we can build
on SB301 (and not merely rest upon it) to go as far as morality and
justice require until all preborn children have equal protection of our
law.”
