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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 30 OctOber 2019

Federal judge blocks Alabama's

strict abortion ban

By KIM CHANDLER
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) —
A federal judge on Tuesday
blocked Alabama's near-
total abortion ban from
taking effect next month
and called the law — part
of a wave of new abortion
restrictions by conservative
Woodbridge firefighters work to extinguish the scene of a plane states — clearly unconstitu-
crash at a home Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, in Woodbridge,N.J. tional.
Associated Press U.S. District Judge Myron
Thompson issued a prelimi-
Small plane crashes, nary injunction temporar-
ily blocking Alabama from
leaving pilot dead, enforcing the law that In this Wednesday, May 15, 2019 file photo released by the state
would make performing an
shows Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signing a bill that virtually out-
houses ablaze abortion a felony in almost laws abortion in the state, in Montgomery, Ala. Associated Press
all cases. The ruling came
after abortion providers
sued to block the law from preme Court justices to re- would cause it to die shortly
By DAVID PORTER bors thinking the earth was taking effect Nov. 15. The consider Roe v. Wade, the after birth.
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. (AP) shaking. injunction was widely ex- landmark 1973 decision None of the state bans has
— A small plane crashed Steven Smith lives around pected and will remain in that legalized abortion na- taken effect. Some have
through the roof of a home the corner from the crash place until Thompson de- tionwide. already been blocked,
Tuesday, killing the pilot site. He said he heard a cides the full case. A number of states at- and elsewhere courts are
and causing an explosion plane coming in low as if it "Alabama's abortion ban tempted to ban abortion considering requests to put
that set two houses ablaze was diving. contravenes clear Su- once a fetal heartbeat is them on hold while legal
in a New Jersey suburb of “Then there was a real preme Court precedent," detected. The Alabama challenges play out.
New York City. short pause for about two Thompson wrote in an ac- law went further by at- "This is not only a victory for
No one was in the home seconds. Then there was a companying opinion. "It tempting to ban almost all the people of Alabama —
that the Cessna 414 massive boom that shook violates the right of an indi- abortions with no excep- it's a victory for the entire
crashed into, but flames my whole house,” Smith vidual to privacy, to make tions for cases of rape and nation. We said it from the
spread to another house, said. choices central to personal incest. start: This ban is blatantly
where a woman escaped Gerhardt said the wreck- dignity and autonomy. It Passed by the Republican- unconstitutional, and we
injury, Woodbridge Mayor age could take up to three diminishes the capacity of led legislature, the 2019 Al- will fight it every step of the
John McCormac said. days to clear from the women to act in society, abama Human Life Protec- way," said Staci Fox, presi-
The plane went down house, whose second story and to make reproductive tion Act would make per- dent and CEO of Planned
not far from an elemen- the plane had nearly shorn decisions. It defies the Unit- forming an abortion at any Parenthood Southeast.
tary school at about 11 off before becoming em- ed States Constitution." stage of pregnancy a felo- Planned Parenthood was
a.m., according to Na- bedded in the basement. Energized by new conser- ny punishable by up to 99 one of the groups that sued
tional Transportation Safety He said a third home was vatives on the U.S. Supreme years or life in prison for the to block the law.
Board investigator Adam also affected. Court, Alabama and other abortion provider. The only Randall Marshall, execu-
Gerhardt. The flight left Leesburg, Vir- conservative states have exceptions would be when tive director of the Ameri-
The crash sent flames into ginia, with only the pilot attempted to enact new there is a serious health risk can Civil Liberties Union of
the air, belched smoke aboard, before 10 a.m., restrictions on abortion in to the mother or the fetus Alabama, said the decision
for hours and left neigh- authorities said.q the hopes of getting Su- has a lethal anomaly that was expected.q