Alabama Republicans have done the American public a favor by exposing the real goal of anti-abortion activists all along: forcing women, all women and even girls, in nearly every case, including rape and incest and predation, to carry some man's baby to term no matter how exploited or victimized she was. Republicans passed the ultimate forced-birther bill, very purposely and explicitly excluding any exceptions for rape and incest—and Democrats running in the 2020 presidential primary were quick to condemn a bill addressing an issue once viewed as a third rail by centrists.
“This ban is dangerous and exceptionally cruel — and the bill’s authors want to use it to overturn Roe v. Wade,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “I’ve lived in that America and let me tell you: We are not going back — not now, not ever. We will fight this. And we will win.”
"This is a war on women, and it is time to fight like hell," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York tweeted. Sen. Kamala Harris of California called the bill "outrageous," and Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, along with Beto O'Rourke, declared it flatly "unconstitutional."
"It's a radical attack on women across Alabama and America," tweeted O'Rourke. "We won't back down when it comes to fully protecting Roe v. Wade, fighting dangerous efforts to roll back reproductive health care and defending a woman’s right to access an abortion."
Former Vice President Joe Biden also opposed the bill, apparently dusting off some messaging from the '90s this morning.