MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Abortion clinics would be prohibited near schools under a bill approved Tuesday by the Alabama House, legislation that would force one of the state’s five abortion clinics to move or close.
The House of Representatives voted 79-15 for the proposal to ban clinics within 2,000 feet of a public K-12 school. The state would not license or renew a license for clinics within that distance. The bill now moves to the state Senate, where it faces an uncertain outlook with five meeting days remaining in the legislative session.
Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, said the clinics are not appropriate near children, nor are clinic protests, which he said can include graphic statements from “both sides” and photos of aborted fetuses,
“The kids are being exposed to an element of life that they really don’t need to be exposed to at 4 or 5 or 6 years old,” Henry said. “It’s a volatile atmosphere that our children shouldn’t be subjected to.”
Opposing lawmakers called the bill an attempt to close an abortion clinic in a state where lawmakers have recently enacted or proposed multiple abortion restrictions.