State Auditor Andrew Sorrell doesn’t believe there is any momentum to change Alabama’s abortion law any time soon.
This week, the Society for Family Planning released a study showing the Yellowhammer State had the fifth-highest decline in abortions nationally since the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade.
Sorrell, who was a state representative in the Legislature in 2019 when they passed the Human Life Protection Act, said it’s good news there have been less abortions in Alabama.
“There is no greater thing to rejoice over than saving human life,” Sorrell said on WVNN. “Every life is precious and I believe they were all created by God. That bill proposed to us, carried by Rep. Terri Collins of Decatur, the bill was complete. It was a really, really solid pro-life bill.”
Sorrell said it was a smart move by the Legislature to pass such a strong bill before Roe V. Wade was overturned.
“I remember distinctly the Democrats on the floor saying ‘this is such a waste of time, have you all not heard of Roe V. Wade? This is completely useless, you’re just trying to score cheap political points with your base.’ And lo and behold, Roe V. Wade gets overturned and now all of a sudden Steve Marshall is tasked with enforcing the strictest and best abortion ban in the country,” he said. “And he’s done a fantastic job with that.
“And I think with these news articles coming out talking about the decline in abortion in Alabama are evidence of the fact your Legislature and Steve Marshall [are] currently doing the right thing.”
While there have been some Democrats in the Legislature who want to add more exceptions to the abortion ban, Sorrell said he doesn’t think they’ll be successful in arguing for those changes.
“I see no appetite in the Legislature,” he said, “other than there’s a few isolated members I have spoken to, but the vast majority of people know that is a lightning rod. Do you want to be the Republican that votes to weaken Alabama’s abortion law? I mean how is that going to play in your primary? That sounds like a one-way ticket to not get reelected …
“Now that it passed in 2019 and has taken effect, who wants to be the Republican that’s going to sponsor weakening Alabama’s abortion law? I just don’t see it happening.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
