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On Tuesday, Alabama鈥檚 legislature voted to outlaw abortion in their state. The bill, which the governor signed into law today, includes a penalty of up to 99 years in prison for doctors who perform abortions, at any stage of pregnancy. The only exceptions are when the life of the mother is at risk or the fetus has a 鈥渓ethal anomaly.鈥�
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The ACLU has already announced it plans to challenge the law in court 鈥� and that鈥檚 the point. Alabama鈥檚 legislators envision it as a possible vehicle for overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
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Given the Supreme Court鈥檚 new conservative majority, many court-watchers believe Roe鈥檚 days may be numbered. As a result, there鈥檚 been a flurry of abortion legislation in the states. Conservative states like Georgia have passed 鈥渉eartbeat bills鈥� that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks. Liberal states like New York have tried to codify Roe鈥檚 protections into state law.
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To sort through all this, we recently launched a new series on abortion. In听, Jessica Mendoza looked at the extent to which Americans鈥� views on the issue correspond with and have perhaps even shaped our partisan divide. This week, Samantha Laine Perfas tackled some听听surrounding abortion.
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It鈥檚 interesting to note that public opinion on abortion hasn鈥檛 changed much over the past few decades, even as it has shifted notably on other hot-button cultural issues, such as gay marriage. Overall, a majority of Americans continue to believe abortion should be legal, but with restrictions.
What might change is how much of a priority the issue becomes for voters. Already, Democratic presidential candidates are pouncing on the Alabama bill: 鈥淎labama鈥檚 backdoor abortion ban is an unconstitutional attack on women 鈥� an attack happening all across America,鈥� tweeted Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren today.
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One thing is clear: 鈥淓nding Roe won鈥檛 end abortion in America 鈥� or the fight over abortion,鈥� as the Cincinnati Enquirer鈥檚 Dan Horn听. It would simply shift the battle to Congress and to the states. 鈥淚f Roe goes away, laws that previously would have been rejected by the courts will have real consequences, not only for pregnant women, but for politicians, too,鈥� Mr. Horn writes. Which means the abortion wars may be about to enter an entirely new phase.
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Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at听csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.