Chaos broke out on the Alabama state Senate floor on Thursday when the Republican-controlled chamber tried to remove an exception for rape and incest from a restrictive anti-abortion bill right before it was about to pass.
When the Senate majority leader, Lieutenant Gov. Will Ainsworth (R), suddenly stripped the rape and incest amendment without a roll call vote, Senate minority Bobby Singleton (D) blew up.
“Mr. Chairman, there was no motion!” Singleton shouted.
The Democrat continued to yell over Ainsworth’s attempts to allow a Republican senator to take the floor.
AL.com reports that the Senate ultimately decided to move the vote on the bill to next week.
“We can come back in here on Tuesday and have extended debate and make that final decision,” Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said.
Singleton later told AL.com that he pushed back on Ainsworth’s attempt to remove the amendment without a vote because “the people have a right to know how we vote.”
The bill, if passed, would be the one of most restrictive abortion bans in the country. Abortion would be illegal under most circumstances unless the mother’s life was in danger, and doctors who perform the procedure would be charged with a felony and face up to 99 years in prison.
