Alabama's attempt to crank out the harshest anti-abortion law in the country is on hold for now.
On Thursday, the state Senate moved to pass a version of a statehouse-passed bill that effectively bans all abortions in the state. The original bill didn't contain an exception for rape or incest, but even after the Senate quickly tried to add one, a shouting match on the chamber floor got a final vote on the bill delayed until next week.
The bill would criminalize abortions of a fetus "in utero" with a prison sentence of up to 99 years, allowing exceptions only when a mother's health is at serious risk. The Senate tried to add an exception for rape or incest to the bill on Thursday, and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D) then said he'd like to have a roll call vote on every question surrounding the bill, AL.com reports. But Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth quickly gaveled for a voice vote on the amendment, and then said it passed as Singleton continued to yell against the swift proceedings.
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As the shouting died down, Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R) announced a vote on the bill would be pushed to next week. The bill as introduced by a statehouse representative is meant to push the Supreme Court to re-examine the landmark 1973 abortion case Roe v. Wade.
The uproar in Alabama comes two days after Georgia passed what its Gov. Brian Kemp (R) proudly called the "toughest abortion bill in the country."
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