A step back for women's rights.

The southern State of Alabama has passed a bill that outlaws almost all abortions. This bill even denies a woman an abortion in cases of incest and rape. It is part of a wider effort to have the US Supreme Court rethink a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The bill had been previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey. The Governor has not said if she will sign or not, but is known to be a strong opponent of abortion. This bill, the harshest of its kind in the US, was passed by the senate 25-6, and if signed by the Governor, will come into action in six months.

"You’ve got 27 men... ready to tell women what they can do with their bodies."https://t.co/SMD6uNZo49

— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) May 15, 2019

And not only does this bill outlaw abortion in almost every case, but it also makes it a criminal offence. A person performing an abortion would be committing a felony, which would be punishable by 10 to 99 years in prison. While this bill has been passed by the house of representatives and the senate, it is expected to face legal challenge. We sure hope it does. The National Organisation for Women has (rightly) denounced the ban as unconstitutional. "This is a transparent effort to drum up political support for anti-abortion candidates in upcoming elections and serves as a direct threat to women’s health, autonomy and pursuit of happiness," NOW said in a statement.