A federal court judge in Alabama will soon answer a crucial question: In a state where abortion is illegal, can health care providers and advocates be punished for helping patients seek the procedure elsewhere?
In 2022, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the state’s abortion ban kicked in, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said on a radio show that groups helping to fund out-of-state abortions could face felony charges.
His comments rattled health care providers, who might advise a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to travel out of state, and abortion funds that help arrange and fund such travel. That advice and support are key, abortion-rights supporters say, because several states…
