CNN reports that Democrats who made reproductive rights the focus of their campaign will likely win in Alabama's special election.

CNN
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Marilyn Lands, a Democrat who has made reproductive rights a central part of her campaign, will win Tuesday's special election for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, CNN reports.

Her victory is another data point for national Democrats. They say a backlash against strict state abortion laws following the Roe v. Wade overturn and concerns about IVF treatments will help Democrats in November, even in traditionally Republican areas. I hope so.

The Biden campaign heralded Lands' victory as a “warning sign” for former President Donald Trump and “extreme MAGA Republicans.” Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement that Alabama voters “want to know exactly who is responsible for limiting their ability to decide when and how to start a family.” We know this and we are ready to fight back.”

Lands said her victory sends a “clear message” to Montgomery. “Our Congress must repeal Alabama's no-exception abortion ban, fully restore access to in vitro fertilization, and protect contraceptive rights,” she said Tuesday night. Ta.

The special election does not change the balance of power in Alabama. In Alabama, Republicans hold super majorities in both chambers and control the governor's office.

But Democrats touted their victories in red states and what that would mean in November. “Tonight's victory marks a political earthquake in Alabama, the heart of Republican territory and ground zero for some of the most egregious attacks on our fundamental freedoms,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Chair Heather Williams said in a statement. There is,” he said.

Mr Williams called the victory a “harbinger of things to come” ahead of the general election.

Lands, a certified counselor who lost her bid for a Huntsville-area seat in 2022 by nearly seven points, opposes the state's near-total ban on abortion and claims that her fetus tested positive more than 20 years ago. has openly discussed the abortions she underwent after being diagnosed. A rare genetic condition.

Her opponent, Republican Teddy Powell, a two-term Madison City Council member, avoided discussion of abortion rights and focused his campaign on economic development, infrastructure and education funding. Although Powell described himself as “pro-life,” he said he might be open to considering a bill that would add exceptions for rape and incest to Alabama's abortion ban.

The seat became vacant after Republican state Rep. David Cole resigned last year. Cole pleaded guilty to election fraud by voting in the district he represents even though he does not live there.

Alabama became one of about a dozen states to ban abortion with few exceptions, with the trigger law going into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections in 2022.

Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children, making IVF clinics liable in wrongful death lawsuits if the embryos are destroyed. Several medical providers in Alabama suspended some IVF services in response to the ruling. Alabama politicians quickly enacted legislation to protect patients and clinics from criminal and civil liability, but Democrats and abortion rights advocates say the court's ruling means life begins at conception. He argued that it was born out of anti-abortion policies, including laws against abortion.

This story has been updated with additional responses.