Hillary Clinton takes aim at Alabama AG’s abortion crackdown

Hillary Clinton takes aim at Alabama AG’s abortion crackdown

The assertion that the state of Alabama can prosecute people who help women travel out of state to obtain an abortion has captured the attention of Hillary Clinton.

The former presidential candidate, senator and secretary of state shared an AL.com story Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that outlined the opinion of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall regarding those aiding women seeking abortions.

In reposting the story, written by reporter Amy Yurkanin, Clinton commented, “I’m not seeing enough people talking about this horrific move by Republican officials in Alabama to restrict women’s freedom of movement. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Less than two hours after Clinton’s post on X, it had been viewed more than 237,000 times. Clinton has more than 31 million followers on X.

As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year in the Dobbs case, Alabama along with other states have passed strict limits on access to abortions. Alabama outlawed almost all abortions in the state. The Human Life Protection Act created a class A felony for performing abortions, which is punishable by up to life in prison.

Yurkanin’s story, which posted on Aug. 30, covered Marshall filing a motion in federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by providers, the ACLU and Yellowhammer Fund, which helped fund abortions in Alabama before the Dobbs decision.

The lawsuit, filed July 31, alleged Marshall violated the right to free speech when he said that individuals could be charged with conspiracy for helping women get abortions in other states. A doctor and a clinic owner said the comments made it difficult to advise or treat pregnant women, even those with complications. It stemmed from comments made in July 2022 on the Jeff Poor Show, a talk radio program.

Marshall said on the show the state would investigate potential conspiracy or accessory charges for groups that openly fund or promote out-of-state abortions.