New abortion laws in the Midwest, South

(Tom Toles)

Alabama lawmakers voted on May 14 to ban nearly all abortions in the state — including rape and incest — sending the nation's strictest law to the state's Republican governor, who is expected to sign it, the Washington Post reported.

This follows the passage by the neighboring state of Georgia of a so-called “heartbeat” bill that bans abortion after a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat. The Peach State became the fourth state this year to enact such legislation, following Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, according to Reuters. Iowa passed a similar law last year, though courts blocked the law there and in Kentucky. The rest are facing legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and the Center for Reproductive Rights have vowed to sue to stop the Georgia law.

Sixteen states in total have passed or are working to pass abortion bans, since a doctor can detect what they call a “fetal heartbeat in the womb,” usually at about six weeks, before many women know they're pregnant.

Abortion foes say the bills are intended to mount legal challenges in the hope the case will reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where a majority of conservative justices, including two appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, could overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a woman's right to an abortion.

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