Alabama lawsuit over threat of prosecution for abortion help can move forward, court rules
Source: The Hill
05/06/24 10:51 PM ET
A federal judge on Monday rejected an attempt to toss a suit challenging Alabama’s attorney general’s threat to prosecute those who help with out-of-state travel for abortions, paving the way for the case to move forward.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, in a preliminary ruling Monday, said the case brought by the Yellowhammer Fund — a group that supports people who need out-of-state abortions in the Deep South — can continue their lawsuit, which argues Attorney General Steve Marshall’s (R) threats create an illegal chilling effect on the group’s freedom of expression.
The group claims it has been forced to stop operating its abortion fund out of fear of prosecution. Alabama banned nearly all abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, even in cases of rape or incest.
Last year, Marshall threatened to prosecute anyone who “aids and abets” in an abortion, prompting confusion among health care workers and groups like the Yellowhammer Fund. This led to an “increased sense of fear and uncertainty for Plaintiff and pregnant people alike,” the group wrote in its complaint. Thompson’s ruling, which was in response to Marshall’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, pointed to the constitutional right to travel.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4647756-alabama-lawsuit-threat-prosecution-abortion-help/
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