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Federal Judge Rules Alabama Can't Criminalize Help for Out-of-State Abortions - Ms.
One of the thorniest issues that has arisen in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs—which, in overturning Roe v. Wade, devolved legal authority over abortion to the states—is whether restrictive states can prevent or deter their residents from obtaining abortion care in a state where it is legal.
Myron H. Thompson, a United States district court judge in Alabama, unequivocally ruled last month that restricting cross-border abortion travel is patently unconstitutional, in an opinion that powerfully and eloquently conveys the interconnected harms to patients and those who support them to access care.
Thompson’s opinion cuts through the noise to lay bare the catastrophic impact of abortion bans and the adjacent attempts to restrict access to legal out-of-state care.
snip
In May of 2019, after signing the state’s Human Life Protection Act into law, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement proclaiming that “this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.” To safeguard these ‘sacred gifts,’ the law banned abortion subject to very narrow exceptions and subject those found guilty of violating it of a prison sentence of not less than ten years up through a possible life sentence.
Although the law was initially enjoined from going into effect in the immediate aftermath of Dobbs, the injunction was dissolved—thus allowing one of the strictest criminal abortion laws in the country to take effect.
Myron H. Thompson, a United States district court judge in Alabama, unequivocally ruled last month that restricting cross-border abortion travel is patently unconstitutional, in an opinion that powerfully and eloquently conveys the interconnected harms to patients and those who support them to access care.
Thompson’s opinion cuts through the noise to lay bare the catastrophic impact of abortion bans and the adjacent attempts to restrict access to legal out-of-state care.
snip
In May of 2019, after signing the state’s Human Life Protection Act into law, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement proclaiming that “this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.” To safeguard these ‘sacred gifts,’ the law banned abortion subject to very narrow exceptions and subject those found guilty of violating it of a prison sentence of not less than ten years up through a possible life sentence.
Although the law was initially enjoined from going into effect in the immediate aftermath of Dobbs, the injunction was dissolved—thus allowing one of the strictest criminal abortion laws in the country to take effect.
https://msmagazine.com/2025/04/18/alabama-abortion-aid-ruling-interstate-travel-rights/
