Annitston Star: Senate passes ban on abortions after 20 weeks, by Tim Lockette:
MONTGOMERY — On the final day of the legislative session, the Alabama State Senate passed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks.
Senators voted 26-5 to pass the measure, one of a raft of bills proposed by the Republican majority, that would limit access to abortion. Before the bill's passage, abortions could be conducted until the fetus was considered viable, about 24 to 26 weeks into the pregnancy.
The bill would also require doctors who perform abortions to provide a report of each abortion to the Alabama Department of Public Health and compile an annual report of abortions.
Proponents of the bill said the measure, titled the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act," was inspired by scientific evidence suggesting that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks. . . .