Abortion

Givan Bill Would Require Fathers to Pay for Abortions or Have Vasectomies

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, spoke during 2024 MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.)

UPDATED — Alabama Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham is introducing a bill in the upcoming session that would require a father either to pay in the rare case that a woman has an abortion in Alabama or to have a vasectomy.

Addressing more common issues, Givan’s bill would add exceptions to the state’s abortion law in cases of incest and rape and to preserve the health of the mother. Now, the state’s law allows an abortion only to prevent a serious health risk to the mother, language that has been criticized as vague and giving little guidance to doctors.

“In recent years, the Legislature has passed laws restricting reproduction rights in the state and the penalties have been imposed only on women. It’s time for that to change,” Givan said in a statement announcing the press conference. “The last time I checked a biology textbook, it takes a woman and a man to make a baby. Men in Alabama need to be held to the same level of responsibility as women.”

She will be announcing two bills she’ll be sponsoring this year. The first is House Bill 90, which would modify the existing abortion law to include the exemptions. It also would add the requirement that fathers pay all costs associated with an abortion unless waived by the mother. It would allow a district judge to waive the payment requirement if the father agrees to undergo a vasectomy.

She also will be discussing a bill to expand the state’s human trafficking law to include advertising, either online or in print, for access to the sexual or labor servitude of another person. That measure will be HB79.