There are many memes floating around suggesting the Alabama abortion law (or sometimes abortion laws in general) are due to a bunch of men dictating and overriding the wishes of women. This is simply wrong and misleading.
-As the New York Times reported, opposition to abortion in Alabama is widespread across gender lines. “Opinion polling has repeatedly shown that a broad segment of Alabama voters, including a majority of women, generally oppose abortion rights, and for many of them, passage of the ban was a triumph.”
-They later add, “Although women hold only 22 of 140 seats in the Alabama legislature - one of the smallest percentages in the country - they also held important roles in the abortion debate in Montgomery, the capital. A woman, Representative Terri Collins, was the primary sponsor of the new law, and Gov. Kay Ivey, the second woman ever to lead Alabama, signed the ban, calling it “a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a gift from God.””
-Looking at Pew polls on abortion, women are about as likely to be pro-life as men across Europe and America. In the US, 57% of men and 60% of women believe abortions should be legal in all or most cases. Meaning they are pro-life 43% and 40% respectively.
-Gender has a relatively poor correlation to one’s view on abortion. Factors like religious affiliation and political ideology are much more closely linked. As for race, there is some correlation with abortion, but contrary to this meme’s portrayal. Black and Hispanic Americans tend to be more pro-life than whites. Meaning the reason for the Alabama bill likely has to do with it being a conservative Republican state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/…/16/us/abortion-law-women.html
https://www.pewresearch.org/…/in-the-u-s-and-europe-women-…/
https://www.pewforum.org/fact-s…/public-opinion-on-abortion/