'We need this bill to die': the Alabama Democrat fighting for abortion rights
Source: The Guardian
'We need this bill to die': the Alabama Democrat fighting for abortion rights
Video of state senator Bobby Singleton shouting went viral last week as he objected to a move to advance nations strictest abortion bill
Erin Durkin in Montgomery, Alabama
Tue 14 May 2019 07.00 BST Last modified on Tue 14 May 2019 13.26 BST
Alabama state senator Bobby Singleton was angry, pounding the lectern as he objected to a move to advance a bill to ban all abortions in his state.
He was furious at what he saw as an improper procedural maneuver by the states lieutenant governor, but also angry for the women of his rural Alabama district, who already face high infant mortality rates and struggle to access healthcare as hospitals close.
Singleton was objecting last week to an effort by Republicans to strip an exception for rape and incest from legislation to criminalize abortion without a roll-call vote, triggering chaotic scenes between opposing politicians.
Video of the disruption went viral, as women around the country saw Singleton as channeling their own anger over bills to ban or severely restrict abortion that have advanced in a growing number of states.
Thank you for being as angry as I was Senator Bobby Singleton, one Twitter user wrote.
-snip-
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/alabama-bobby-singleton-democrat-abortion-rights