Last week, the Alabama legislature passed the most restrictive abortion bill in the United States, which Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed into law. The bill would make it a felony for the doctors to perform or attempt to perform an abortion in the state (although the woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally culpable or civilly liable). Other states, such as Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio, have passed “heartbeat bills,” which prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is typically when a doctor can first detect a fetal heartbeat. These laws will likely be appealed, as many violate the undue burden notion of established federal law…
