Alabama is a "Red State" filled with people who supposedly don't want government all up in our personal business. But, as we've seen time and time again, the state government doesn't mind interfering with womens' lives and personal business. In fact, when you're talking about reproductive choices, interference is generally state policy.
It's against the law in Alabama for a midwife to attend a home birth. Certainly, there are cases where the birth requires medical intervention. But the majority of standard, uncomplicated births do not. Even so, women in Alabama aren't free to make their own decisions about what's best for them.
...research consistently confirms the safety of planned out-of-hospital birth attended by a trained midwife, Alabamians do not have that legal option. The state currently recognizes only Certified Nurse Midwives, who are not trained in out-of-hospital care, and are only attending hospital births. Families who desire out-of-hospital birth must travel outside of the state, find a midwife willing to risk prosecution, or give birth unassisted.
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Shannon Burdeshaw, a retired midwife and the president of the Alabama Midwives Alliance. She described the situation succinctly:
A woman can choose to birth at home, she can even hire a midwife. But the midwife is subject to prosecution in Alabama. A family member, even a stranger off the street is protected by the good samaritan law, but a qualified professional in an out of hospital birth is not. This is absurd and unjust.
Learn more about the issue and find out how to help change Alabama's outdated laws on the flip.
The Gourmet Beer Bill in the Alabama Legislature is an excellent example of a bipartisan cause. People of reason on both the left and the right realize that the laws governing beer in Alabama are dumber than a box of rocks. In the interest of bipartisanship, reason and good beer I'm happy to pass along this request to tweet the hops free from a right-winger with whom I seldom agree.
Right now, the bill is being held up by one authoritarian imbecile in the State Senate. Here’s the scoop:
Republican State Senator Hank Erwin has been an outspoken opponent of this bill. Instead of letting it go to a vote, he places his moral code above the legislative process. Erwin has been filibustering the bill and plans to continue until this legislative season ends.
Hank Erwin is a prime specimen of authoritarian imbecile, hardly ever seen outside Southern conservative circles. It's a real pleasure to have that quote on our front page.
At least that's how it seems. Not long ago I remarked that the 18-12 vote electing Rodger Smitherman as Senate President pro-tem was "a good omen for a more functional Senate session this year." Turns out I wasn't alone in seeing that vote as a hopeful sign for the Alabama Senate. Last Friday Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr. remarked of Smitherman:
"He had a good vote. He had a strong vote. Final analysis was about 18-12 -- which is a huge vote in the state Senate in 2009, I promise you. Anytime you win anything by more than two votes in the Alabama State Senate nowadays you're really doing well."
Folsom, speaking to the Downtown Democrats in Birmingham also observed that the loss of 3 Senate Democrats (Pat Lindsay, E.B. McClain and Parker Griffith) seemed to have brought the remaining Senators together rather than making it more difficult to achieve consensus. Emphasis mine.
"Ironically, what has happened ... is that actually everyone's getting along a lot better. Because under that scenario everyone pretty much has to work together to accomplish anything since nothing's happened the last two years. We had a good first two days of the session. There will be much more bipartisan activity because of this economic situation we're going to be involved in. Basically I think there's an awareness now on behalf of the governing majority -- that's us -- that we need to, I guess, reach out a little bit more, try to incorporate more folks in the process. I think everyone has a good attitude and I think they're going to focus on some of the real problems we face."
What is especially exasperating is the fact that the issue that prompted the stalling isn't even before the Senate yet, and there is no guarantee it will be. Surely it is symptomatic of the deep degree of dysfunction in the Senate that its work could come to a halt on such grounds.
...
"People are losing jobs and here we are shutting down the Senate on the third day. This is ridiculous," Sen. Larry Means, D-Attalla, said. "Go home and tell people losing their house you're not doing anything."
Means' frustration is well justified. The Senate's reputation has suffered greatly from the lockdowns of the past two sessions. Poole's actions on Tuesday sullied it even more.
As I said last year, Phil Poole's calmer headed constituents need to sit him down for a long talk because his obstructionism isn't serving them well. A man with no friends isn't likely to get any legislation passed, no matter how long winded he is.
There is one bright spot in the Alabama Senate this week. The Free the Hopsgourmet beer bill was voted out of committee yesterday.
Senator Lowell Barron said "It will probably pass if we can get things moving in the Senate. I don't detect much opposition." This bill shouldn't even be controversial. You can already legally purchase wine and spirits with much higher alcohol levels in Alabama, so the argument about getting people drunk faster just doesn't hold water. However, the real need is to "get things moving in the Senate." Yes indeed, recall was made for Phil Poole.
Update: In case anyone doesn't know, Phil Poole is a Democrat representing the Tuscaloosa area.
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