Huntsville, AL- Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Madison) has announced that he sent a letter to Alabama Attorney General Steven Marshall for legal clarification and guidance on several key provisions in Alabama’s 2019 anti-abortion law that provides no exceptions for rape or incest, but does place doctors and other medical professionals in potential legal and criminal jeopardy for making difficult and private family medical decisions.
On July 17th, Rep. Daniels, Rep. Laura Hall (D-Madison), and Dr. Sanithia Williams held a press conference in Huntsville, AL calling for Governor Kay Ivey to hold a Special Legislative Session to repeal the law. The following day, the Governor’s spokesperson indicated that the Governor refused, which according to Rep. Daniels, led to the written request for legal and ethical clarity from the Attorney General’s Office.
According to Rep. Daniels, “Without the type of clear and detailed legal guidance that I am requesting, doctors have recently expressed grave uncertainty regarding this law and have indicated that they may not treat certain types of patients due to possible criminal liability or that they may delay certain types of maternal care to ensure compliance with the law. This matter is of great urgency as mothers may be unnecessarily denied care as doctors seek legal guidance.”
Rep. Daniels said that he hopes Attorney General Marshall understands the importance of quickly providing guidance because Alabama women and girls’ lives are at stake at this very moment.
Submitted by Alabama House Democratic Caucus
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