Governor Ivey signs Alabama Human Life Protection Act, the most restrictive abortion ban in the country with no exceptions for rape or incest

On May 15, 2019, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 314, the Human Life Protection Act, making it a Class A felony — punishable by up to 99 years in prison — for any physician to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. The law made no exception for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, only for situations where the mother's life is at risk or there is a lethal fetal anomaly. The bill passed the House 74-3 and the Senate 25-6 along party lines. Federal Judge Myron Thompson issued a preliminary injunction in October 2019 preventing enforcement. After the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling in June 2022, Judge Thompson lifted the injunction and Alabama's near-total ban took effect within days, making Alabama the first state in the nation to enforce a near-total abortion prohibition.