Alabama

The Human Life Protection Act (Ala. Code § 26-23H) permits mothers to perform their own abortions while making abortion a Class A felony for anyone else who performs an abortion.

In a January 10 article at AL.com, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that while he couldn’t prosecute for homicide because of the Human Life Protection Act, he intended to prosecute women who self-manage their own abortions under a child chemical endangerment law:

“The Human Life Protection Act targets abortion providers, exempting women ‘upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to be performed’ from liability under the law,” Marshall said in an emailed statement. ‘It does not provide an across-the-board exemption from all criminal laws, including the chemical-endangerment law—which the Alabama Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed protects unborn children.’”

Students for Life and their President Kristan Hawkins came out against him in a press release: “In response to the Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall saying that women could be prosecuted for use of Chemical Abortion Pills, Students for Life Action (SFLAction) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins stated: ‘We need to keep our focus focusing on the predators and the abortion cartel and not the victims, as a mother and her preborn child are the targets of an industry selling death by abortion.’” Marshall backed down.

Abolition History:

Abolitionist State Representative Ernie Yarbrough was elected in November 2022.