<p class="p2"><span class="s1">As promised, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood are suing the state of Alabama in an attempt to prevent its anti-abortion law from going into effect in November. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">This response is exactly what GOP lawmakers expected and wanted, because the lawsuits will help push the issue to the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“We’ve been clear: If you attack our constitutional right to reproductive freedom, we will sue,” wrote the ACLU on Friday. “Politicians’ stated intention behind Alabama’s extreme abortion ban is to directly challenge <i>Roe v. Wade</i>. We’re asking the court today to follow more than 45 years of established precedent and strike down this blatantly unconstitutional law.”</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="s1">At this point, it is unclear whether the conservative majority in the Supreme Court would overturn <i>Roe v. Wade.</i></span></strong></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">&#8220;Make no mistake: Abortion remains &#8211; and will remain &#8211; safe and legal in Alabama,” promised ACLU executive Randall Marshall. &#8220;With this lawsuit, we are seeking a court order to make sure this law never takes effect. We hope our state’s elected leaders take note and stop using taxpayer dollars on a legal gamble that they know is unconstitutional and unenforceable.”</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">The Alabama law bans all abortions excepting cases were pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. The law labels abortion a “Class A felony” punishable by up to 99 years in prison.</span></p>
<p><span class="s1">“This bill is about challenging <em>Roe v. Wade</em> and protecting the lives of the unborn because an unborn baby is a person who deserves love and protection,” says Alabama State Rep. Terri Collins.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Alabama&#8217;s law is even more strict than so-called &#8220;heartbeat&#8221; bills, which </span><span class="s1">ban abortion after the point at which a fetal heartbeat can be detected (usually about six weeks into a pregnancy). </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Seven states have passed heartbeat bills this year, but none have taken effect. </span></p>
<p>We can expect the Supreme Court to hear arguments on the Alabama case sometime during the term that begins in October, with a final decision coming smack in the middle of the 2020 <span class="s1">presidential election. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Based on past actions, however, the high court is more likely </span><span class="s1">to adopt a step-by-step approach than reverse <em>Roe v. Wade.</em></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">As noted in <i>The Washington Post</i>, “Multiple cases involving abortion restrictions less fundamental than the Alabama law…are already at the Supreme Court, and the justices could decide at any time to take one or all.”</span></p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> The liberals under Barack Obama pushed abortion to the edge, to the point where a child ready to be born can still be aborted. This is unconsionable. In my personal view, I&#8217;m not sure life begins with conception, but I am sure that a baby that can survive outside of the womb should have human rights.</p>