Alabama's governor on Wednesday signed a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/alabama-senate-passes-toughest-abortion-ban-bill-in-us-218929">bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state</a>, even in cases of rape and incest, in political conservatives' latest challenge to the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.

US abortion-rights activists had already vowed to go court to block enforcement of the Alabama measure, the strictest anti-abortion law yet enacted by abortion foes aiming to provoke reconsideration of the Roe v. Wade ruling.

Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved the ban and rejected a provision to allow abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape or incest.

"To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God," Ivey said in a statement. "To all Alabamians, I assure you that we will continue to follow the rule of law."

The law would take effect in six months.

Legislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected.

Planned Parenthood joined the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday in filing a legal challenge to Ohio's recent ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time, unless the mother's health is in danger. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. A woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally liable.

2020 Democratic candidates blast move

Most of the Democratic candidates seeking their party's 2020 nomination to run for the White House condemned the Alabama law, calling it an attack on women's rights and vowing to fight to uphold legal access to abortion.

"The idea that supposed leaders have passed a law that would criminalize a physician for assisting a woman on something that she, in consult with her physician, with her God, with her faith leader, has made the decision to do, that is her body that you would criminalize," US Senator Kamala Harris of California, one of the large field of hopefuls, said at a town hall on Wednesday morning in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Some on Twitter had called on their allies to mail coat hangers to Ivey, as a reminder of the illegal abortion practices common before it was made legal.

Christian television broadcaster Pat Robertson, a staunch critic of Roe v. Wade, said the Alabama law "has gone too far."

“It’s an extreme law, and they want to challenge Roe versus Wade. But my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose,” Robertson said on his program, "The 700 Club."

Anti-abortion advocates are aware that any laws they pass are certain to be challenged. Courts this year have blocked a restrictive Kentucky law and another in Iowa passed last year.

But supporters of the Alabama ban said the right to life of the fetus transcended other rights, an idea they would like tested at the Supreme Court.

The high court, now with a majority of conservative justices after Republican President Donald Trump appointed two, could possibly overturn Roe v. Wade. That decision held that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy that protects a woman's right to abortion.

Roe v. Wade did allow states to place restrictions on the procedure from the time a fetus could viably survive outside the womb, except in cases in which a woman's health was otherwise at risk. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks. A full-term pregnancy typically is about 40 weeks.

Just this year, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio enacted statutes outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat.

Opponents call the "heartbeat" legislation a virtual ban because embryonic cardiac activity can be detected as early as six weeks, before a woman may even be aware she is pregnant.

Alabama's governor on Wednesday signed a bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state, even in cases of rape and incest, in political conservatives' latest challenge to the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.

Alabama's governor on Wednesday signed a bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state, even in cases of rape and incest, in political conservatives' latest challenge to the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. US abortion-rights activists had already vowed to go court to block enforcement of the Alabama measure, the strictest anti-abortion law yet enacted by abortion foes aiming to provoke reconsideration of the Roe v. Wade ruling. Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved the ban and rejected a provision to allow abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape or incest. "To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God," Ivey said in a statement. "To all Alabamians, I assure you that we will continue to follow the rule of law." The law would take effect in six months. Legislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected. Planned Parenthood joined the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday in filing a legal challenge to Ohio's recent ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time, unless the mother's health is in danger. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. A woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally liable. 2020 Democratic candidates blast move Most of the Democratic candidates seeking their party's 2020 nomination to run for the White House condemned the Alabama law, calling it an attack on women's rights and vowing to fight to uphold legal access to abortion. "The idea that supposed leaders have passed a law that would criminalize a physician for assisting a woman on something that she, in consult with her physician, with her God, with her faith leader, has made the decision to do, that is her body that you would criminalize," US Senator Kamala Harris of California, one of the large field of hopefuls, said at a town hall on Wednesday morning in Nashua, New Hampshire. Some on Twitter had called on their allies to mail coat hangers to Ivey, as a reminder of the illegal abortion practices common before it was made legal. Christian television broadcaster Pat Robertson, a staunch critic of Roe v. Wade, said the Alabama law "has gone too far." “It’s an extreme law, and they want to challenge Roe versus Wade. But my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose,” Robertson said on his program, "The 700 Club." Anti-abortion advocates are aware that any laws they pass are certain to be challenged. Courts this year have blocked a restrictive Kentucky law and another in Iowa passed last year. But supporters of the Alabama ban said the right to life of the fetus transcended other rights, an idea they would like tested at the Supreme Court. The high court, now with a majority of conservative justices after Republican President Donald Trump appointed two, could possibly overturn Roe v. Wade. That decision held that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy that protects a woman's right to abortion. Roe v. Wade did allow states to place restrictions on the procedure from the time a fetus could viably survive outside the womb, except in cases in which a woman's health was otherwise at risk. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks. A full-term pregnancy typically is about 40 weeks. Just this year, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio enacted statutes outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat. Opponents call the "heartbeat" legislation a virtual ban because embryonic cardiac activity can be detected as early as six weeks, before a woman may even be aware she is pregnant.

Alabama governor signs nation's strictest abortion ban

While doing red carpet duty at the London launch of "Catch-22," George Clooney joked about his grey hair and reminisced about the days when he was a young actor who had a real appreciation for location shoots.

George Clooney at launch of new miniseries Catch-22 talks about motorcycle crash, abortion legislation in Alabama

At least fourteen dead in Alabama tornado

US midterm polls: Georgia, Illinois, Alabama, Indiana, Texas extend polling hours

Alberto, the first storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, spawned scattered flooding in Alabama as it weakened into a subtropical depression on Tuesday, a day after two journalists were killed in North Carolina when a tree fell on their car.

In Maryland, searchers on Monday found the body of a man swept away when a flash flood triggered by a separate storm tore through the main street of a historic town.

Near hurricane-force winds from Alberto dropped to about 30 miles per hour (48 km per hour) as it lost strength while crossing the Gulf of Mexico and making landfall in the US&nbspSouth, the National Weather Service said.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) cancelled coastal warnings and watches for the storm, which spun up days before the formal start of the hurricane season on June 1.

Local media in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle reported scattered flash flooding, downed trees and minor power outages as Alberto rumbled north. About half of Alabama's 67 counties were under a flash flood watch.

Alberto was forecast to weaken to a "remnant low pressure" system by Tuesday evening as it moves into the Tennessee Valley and then the Ohio Valley, the weather service said.

The NHC warned the storm would dump rains of 2-6 inches (6-15 cm), with up to 12 inches over north Florida and Alabama through Tuesday night. It could deliver up to 6 inches of rain in some areas as it moves toward lower Michigan by Wednesday evening, officials said.

Karen Clark & Co, a risk-modelling firm, on Tuesday, estimated the insured losses from Alberto at $50 million.

In Maryland, searchers found the body of Eddison Hermond, 39, who was swept away by a torrent of water in historic Ellicott City on Sunday, the Howard County Police Department said on Twitter.

Hermond was swept up as he tried to help a shop owner who had escaped flood waters with her cat, police said. The flooding was the second time Ellicott City had been devastated by high water in two years.

Two television journalists covering the worsening weather in North Carolina were killed on Monday by a falling tree that struck their car. Anchor Mike McCormick and camera operator Aaron Smeltzer from Greenville, South Carolina's, WYFF News were on Highway 176 when the tree came down after heavy rains saturated the ground, police said.

After Alberto's passage, Royal Dutch Shell Plc was sending workers back to the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Chevron Corp restored some production on Monday.

Four deadly hurricanes struck the United States last year, killing at least 144 people and causing billions of dollars in damage, massive power outages and devastating hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, according to the NHC.

In Maryland, searchers on Monday found the body of a man swept away when a flash flood triggered by a separate storm tore through the main street of a historic town

Alberto, the first storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, spawned scattered flooding in Alabama as it weakened into a subtropical depression on Tuesday, a day after two journalists were killed in North Carolina when a tree fell on their car. In Maryland, searchers on Monday found the body of a man swept away when a flash flood triggered by a separate storm tore through the main street of a historic town. Near hurricane-force winds from Alberto dropped to about 30 miles per hour (48 km per hour) as it lost strength while crossing the Gulf of Mexico and making landfall in the US&nbspSouth, the National Weather Service said. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) cancelled coastal warnings and watches for the storm, which spun up days before the formal start of the hurricane season on June 1. Local media in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle reported scattered flash flooding, downed trees and minor power outages as Alberto rumbled north. About half of Alabama's 67 counties were under a flash flood watch. Alberto was forecast to weaken to a "remnant low pressure" system by Tuesday evening as it moves into the Tennessee Valley and then the Ohio Valley, the weather service said. The NHC warned the storm would dump rains of 2-6 inches (6-15 cm), with up to 12 inches over north Florida and Alabama through Tuesday night. It could deliver up to 6 inches of rain in some areas as it moves toward lower Michigan by Wednesday evening, officials said. Karen Clark & Co, a risk-modelling firm, on Tuesday, estimated the insured losses from Alberto at $50 million. In Maryland, searchers found the body of Eddison Hermond, 39, who was swept away by a torrent of water in historic Ellicott City on Sunday, the Howard County Police Department said on Twitter. Hermond was swept up as he tried to help a shop owner who had escaped flood waters with her cat, police said. The flooding was the second time Ellicott City had been devastated by high water in two years. Two television journalists covering the worsening weather in North Carolina were killed on Monday by a falling tree that struck their car. Anchor Mike McCormick and camera operator Aaron Smeltzer from Greenville, South Carolina's, WYFF News were on Highway 176 when the tree came down after heavy rains saturated the ground, police said. After Alberto's passage, Royal Dutch Shell Plc was sending workers back to the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Chevron Corp restored some production on Monday. Four deadly hurricanes struck the United States last year, killing at least 144 people and causing billions of dollars in damage, massive power outages and devastating hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, according to the NHC.

Alberto remnants threaten Alabama after two killed in North Carolina

In a big <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-will-not-campaign-for-alabama-republican-senate-candidate-moore-25291">political setback to President Trump</a>, Alabama Democrat candidate Doug Jones won the US Senate seat causing a major upset in the largely conservative state.

With<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/people-destroy-keurig-coffee-makers-after-company-pulls-ads-from-fox-news-show-24150"> 92 per cent of precincts reporting</a>, Jones secured 49.5 per cent of the vote compared to Roy Moore&#39;s 48.8 per cent, reports said.

Republican Roy Moore campaign was dogged from the beggining with sexual misconduct allegations.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940795587733151744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Alabama&nbsp;which is a Conservative bastion has fallen to the Democrats for the first time in nearly 25 years.

Doug Jones, 63, considered a champion for civil rights had played a huge role in prosecuting two members of the Ku Klux Klan for the 1963 dynamite attack on a black church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Former President Barack Obama and his ex-vice president Joe Biden had campaigned for Jones during the high voltage clash with Moore which had become the focus of attention in the country.

With 92 per cent of precincts reporting, Jones secured 49.5 per cent of the vote compared to Roy Moore's 48.8 per cent, reports said.

In a big political setback to President Trump, Alabama Democrat candidate Doug Jones won the US Senate seat causing a major upset in the largely conservative state. With 92 per cent of precincts reporting, Jones secured 49.5 per cent of the vote compared to Roy Moore's 48.8 per cent, reports said. Republican Roy Moore campaign was dogged from the beggining with sexual misconduct allegations. Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2017 × Alabama which is a Conservative bastion has fallen to the Democrats for the first time in nearly 25 years. Doug Jones, 63, considered a champion for civil rights had played a huge role in prosecuting two members of the Ku Klux Klan for the 1963 dynamite attack on a black church in Birmingham, Alabama. Former President Barack Obama and his ex-vice president Joe Biden had campaigned for Jones during the high voltage clash with Moore which had become the focus of attention in the country.

Democrat Doug Jones wins Alabama Senate seat

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