Alabama Bill Prohibiting Public Funding of Abortion (SB 272)

SB 272 would prohibit the state and any of its political subdivisions from providing grant funding to support the performance of an abortion or counseling in favor of an abortion, or to otherwise aid providers of abortions or affiliates of abortion providers.

The bill would prohibit the state from awarding a grant to pay the direct or indirect costs of performing, inducing, referring, or counseling in favor of abortions, including without limitation:

• Administrative costs and expenses;
• Overhead costs;
• Employee salaries;
• Rent and mortgage payments; and
• Telephone and other utility payments.

The bill would prohibit the state from granting, appropriating or distributing a grant to an individual or entity that performs, induces, refers or counsels, in favor of “convenience abortions.” The bill would also prohibit the state from distributing a grant to an affiliate of any such person or entity.

The bill defines “convenience abortion” to mean:

The act of using or prescribing an instrument, medicine, drug, device, substance, or any other means, with the intent to terminate a pregnancy.

An abortion would not be considered a “convenience abortion” when it is done to:

• save the life of the pregnant person;
• save the life or preserve the health of the fetus;
• remove a miscarried fetus;
• remove an ectopic pregnancy; or
• abort and remove a fetus that is the result of rape or incest.

The bill clarifies that it does not affect the funding of a hospital, medical school or university. The restrictions would also not apply to funding available through Medicaid.

Related Legislation

Based on model legislation drafted by Chris Sevier, who is known for filing anti-LGBTQ stunt lawsuits. The model legislation includes language linking secular humanism to abortion. That language has been left out of SB 272. The rest of the language is nearly identical.

Latest Action

4/11/19 – Introduced; referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.

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