Prosecuting those helping abortion seekers leave state unconstitutional, judged tells AL

Alabama protestors at the state Capitol

The state of Alabama cannot prosecute groups that help people leave the state for an abortion, a federal judge ruled late Monday.

The decision — one of the first to explicitly address abortion-related travel — marks a significant victory for abortion providers and supporters. If the case is appealed, which it almost certainly will be, it will go to the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, half of whose members were appointed by President Donald Trump. 

If upheld, Alabama’s policy would have violated the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and its protection of people’s right to travel, Judge Myron H. Thompson wrote.

https://19thnews.org/2025/04/alabama-ruling-out-of-state-for-abortions/