A disturbing decision was reached in Alabama on Wednesday. Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill called the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. 

This bill bans abortions at every stage of pregnancy, as well as criminalizing doctors who give the procedures. These doctors could be charged with felonies and face up to 99 years in prison. The bill includes an exception for cases when the mother’s life is at serious risk but not for cases of rape or incest, which is very troublesome to say the least.

Other states including Ohio, Mississippi and Georgia have passed similar bills; however, Alabama’s is by far the strictest.

In Ohio, termination of a pregnancy after the six-week mark is now illegal, when most women don’t even realize they are pregnant by that time.

These bills being passed are directly combatting the 1974 Roe v. Wade decision.  

I am pro-choice, which is different than being pro-abortion. As a woman, I have a profound issue with middle-aged legislators telling me what I can and cannot do with my body.

The bill passed in Alabama wouldn’t take effect until January 2020; however, what a terrifying time it is to be a female as I realize my body is able to be controlled by someone who has never met me and doesn’t know my story.

What does this say to women who have been told it’s OK to speak up or that it is safe to come forward after being sexually assaulted?

I am terrified for those in surrounding states, and the impact this has on the fight for women’s rights.

This is a blatant slap in the face for women and brings into question if sexual equality is reverting back to inequality. 

I do not believe abortion should be a form of birth control or a way to correct the mistakes an adult has made by being irresponsible when it comes to sex. 

I do believe when it comes to those who have been raped or in other specific cases, it is the best and most humane choice for both the woman and the child. 

Even Christian televangelist Pat Robertson has claimed the Alabama abortion law has gone too far and is ill-considered. 

Picture an 11-year-old girl who just started getting her menstrual cycle. She is raped by her uncle and discovers she has missed her period; however, having barely begun the process of developing into a young woman, she doesn’t realize anything is wrong. Her mother takes her to the doctor after discovering she has continuously missed her menstrual cycle. The doctor tells her she is pregnant and must carry her rapist’s child to full-term. Her hips are underdeveloped and not made to birth a child yet. It is illegal for the child, parents and doctors to do anything to prevent the little girl from suffering such an unjust fate. 

Now, imagine this is your daughter. What would you do?

Standard reporter Atlanta Northcutt can be reached at 473-2191.