After Democratic gubernatorial nominee Walt Maddox last week said that he will vote against the pro-life “Amendment Two” on the November 6 General Election ballot, the Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama (APLA) on Wednesday called out Maddox’s given reasoning as “disingenuous at best.”
The Tuscaloosa mayor’s remarks opposing the amendment came in an interview on Talk 99.5’s “Matt & Aunie Show,” with the Democrat saying, “I can’t vote in favor of that because, again, it is not going to provide that exemption, if I understand it correctly, that we need,” referring to exceptions (exemptions) he supports in the cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother.
APLA, which is a bipartisan alliance, rebutted Maddox’s stated reasoning and questioned his status as a “pro-life Democrat.”
“Walt Maddox’s reasons for opposing the Pro-Life Amendment appear disingenuous at best,” APLA Executive Director Cole Wagner said in a statement. “A reading of the amendment clearly shows that it simply declares Alabama’s public policy to be one that recognizes and supports the importance of unborn life and the rights of unborn children.”
To be clear, Maddox claims that the amendment would get rid of currently legal abortion exceptions in specific cases. However, Wagner pointed out that the objective Fair Ballot Commission confirmed, “The proposed amendment does not identify any specific actions or activities as unlawful. It expresses a public policy that supports broad protections for the rights of unborn children as long as the protections are lawful.”
Allen Mendenhall, the executive director of the Blackstone & Burke Center for Law & Liberty at Faulkner University and an attorney serving voluntarily as APLA’s legal advisor, said, “[T]he fact that the proposed amendment merely declares a policy as the will of the people, leaving the specific prohibitions or liberties to the legislature, ensures its constitutionality.”
With this clarification in hand, Wagner added that the APLA “will reach out to Maddox, correct his misunderstanding and seek his public support for Amendment Two since he claims to be a ‘pro-life Democrat.’”
The APLA is officially registered with the secretary of state and is coordinating a referendum campaign on behalf of the amendment. Partnering organizations and public officials supporting these efforts include: Alabama Citizens’ Action Program (ALCAP), Alabama Policy Institute, Alabama Pro-Life Coalition, Alabama Pro-Life Education Fund, Choose Life, Inc., Cameron’s Choice, Eagle Forum, Southeast Law Institute, evangelist Scott Dawson, Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia), state Sen. Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) and State Rep. Will Ainsworth (R-Guntersville).
On the other side, opposing Amendment Two, are Planned Parenthood’s state PAC and Maddox.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
