Women face many problems in today's society; from their salary to gender roles and discrimination. There were laws allowing women to earn lower wages, denying them the right to vote, and much more. But a law denying women the right to do what they want with their bodies? The Alabama state legislature has come to the conclusion that it is acceptable to pass a law telling women they cannot abort their unwanted babies. They even went so far as to make it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion! Women have been demeaned for years and treated like second-class citizens, but passing a law to restrict what a woman can and cannot do with her body is criminal. A law against abortion is not only appalling, but it is also harmful to women's health. The week of March 5, 2014, Alabama legislatures passed various restrictive abortion bills. These laws were passed by the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate, which are dominated by Republicans. Legislation is passing laws that prohibit women from having an abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy, even though it takes five weeks for the body to secrete hormones before a test is used to inform a woman that she is pregnant. This leaves little time for a woman to realize she is pregnant and make a decision about the pregnancy. These laws are explicit, but do not specify whether or not an exception is made in cases of rape or incest; these laws are very similar to laws passed in North Dakota. The only exception made for abortions is in cases where carrying a baby would cause serious harm to the woman carrying the baby, such as permanent impairment. Neither the impairment clause nor the serious harm clause takes into account emotional or psychological harm. ...... middle of paper ...... great respect for the women of the state nor their safety. These laws do not even give women the right to have an abortion in cases of rape or incest. Alabama women are expected to carry a painful reminder and simply suffer the consequences, but that doesn't mean they will. The Alabama Legislature has opened the floodgates to illegal abortions, alcohol abuse and perhaps even drug addiction. These various last resorts not only harm the fetus, but also put the woman in danger. Works Cited Botelho, Greg. "Alabama Lawmakers Pass Restrictive Abortion Bills." CNN. Cable News Network, March 5, 2014. Web. March 24, 2014. “Unintended Pregnancy in the United States.” Unintended pregnancy in the United States. Np, December 2013. Web. March 23, 2014. Hicken, Mélanie. “Average cost of raising a child: $241,080. » CNNMargent. Cable News Network, August 14, 2013. Web. March 22. 2014.