Ali Velshi sat down in Tuscaloosa with six of Alabama’s last abortion providers and advocates, who continue to “fight like Hell” for reproductive rights and women’s health care, despite being up against the most punishing anti-abortion laws in the country. Even before Roe fell, Alabama was hostile to abortion rights and providers. “I already know that the state can legally take action against me, because they have, “ said Dr. Leah Torres, Director of Patient Care & Programs at West Alabama Women’s Center. “My license cost me about $120,000 to get back in legal fees,” she said. In fact, all of the providers who spoke with Velshi said they’d been targeted by state law enforcement or licensing agencies for, they believe, nothing more than being abortion providers. They were all exonerated in the end, but being dragged into legal proceedings takes its toll. “When you get indicted, even if it’s totally irrelevant, you still have to go through the process,” said Dalton Johnson, owner of Alabama Women’s Center in Huntsville, who spent two years fighting what he calls “a sham prosecution” of one of his doctors. “We know what the state of Alabama is capable of,” he added.Aug. 7, 2022
