National Democrats have seized on abortion access as their issue in the 2024 campaign, and Alabama is their villain.
The latest Democrat broadside on both is a 30-second TV ad that starts Monday, April 22, on national broadcast networks and locally in Montgomery. It will run for two weeks, through May 4.
The ad is a fictionalized drama of two young women traveling in a car in Alabama a mile from the state line. It shows their Alabama license plate.
The ad starts out by showing a sign reading, “STATE LINE 1 MILE.”
The two females are anxiously looking back behind their car.
One female says, “WE’RE ALMOST THERE. YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT.”
Then flashing lights and a siren come on from a police car that looks suspiciously like an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Car.
A uniformed state trooper walks up to the driver's window. He says:
“MISS, I’M GONNA NEED YOU TO STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND TAKE A PREGNANCY TEST.”
The trooper character holds up a tube that vaguely resembles something that might be used in a pregnancy test.
The driver is shown being handcuffed behind her back by the trooper. Her crimson sweatshirt reads, “ALABAMA” in large all caps.
The ad’s disclaimer then appears: PAID FOR BY CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY GROUP WWW.CAMPAIGNFORDEMOCRACY.COM, NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY GROUP IS RESPONSIBLE.
The screen caption then reads, TAKE ACTION. RightToTravel.org
The video of the ad was posted to X from California Governor Gavin Newsom's account.
Newsome introduced the ad: "Alabama’s abortion ban has no exceptions for rape or incest.
"Now, Republicans are trying to criminalize young women’s travel to receive abortion care.
"We cannot let them get away with this."
Alabama’s abortion ban has no exceptions for rape or incest.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 21, 2024
Now, Republicans are trying to criminalize young women’s travel to receive abortion care.
We cannot let them get away with this. pic.twitter.com/gHbYJYlEXk
Newsom is mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential candidate if President Joe Biden cannot run.
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 50-year-old case of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, twenty months ago. The new Dobbs ruling essentially returned governance of abortion to the 50 states.
Since that time, some states, including Alabama, have made decisions at the state level that strongly protect the rights of the unborn.
Alabama became the focus of national criticism from pro-abortion forces in February when the State Supreme Court essentially ruled that human fetuses not inside the womb were persons within the meaning of the Alabama wrongful death statute.
The Alabama court did not ban in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. They merely ruled that clinics and practitioners performing IVF could be held accountable for negligent actions that resulted in the death of a human embryo.
Immediately after the ruling, several IVF practitioners in Alabama halted IVF procedures. They were not ordered to stop. IVF was not banned in Alabama. Their decision was a business decision, apparently because they did not want to be held accountable for negligent handling of human embryos.
National news media incorrectly reported that the Alabama court had halted IVF procedures.
The Alabama Legislature reacted quickly and passed a new law that exempted human embryos from their newly acquired personhood. National media were silent about that action, apparently wanting to leave Alabama in the worst possible light in the eyes of abortion advocates.
Two things have enabled the national Democrat spinsters to make abortion access the issue and Alabama the target: Alabama’s strong pro-life laws post-Roe and the state court’s ruling on accountability for the wrongful death of a human embryo.
The Newsome ad and its negative portrayal of Alabama will make little to no difference inside Alabama on November 5. Still, the national Democrats have selected Alabama as the boogeyman. Alabama will be showcased nationally as an example of the kinds of things that may be done if Donald Trump is returned to the Oval Office.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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