The backlash against Alabama over its passage of the country's most restrictive abortion law has begun with threats by Democratic officials in other states calling for boycotts and divesting from the Yellowhammer State.
Jena Griswold, Colorado's Democratic secretary of state, threatened to not use the state's tax dollars on travel to Alabama in wake of the abortion bill, which criminalizes abortion and makes no exceptions for rape and incest.
The Denver Post reports Gov. Jared Polis said he is not considering following Griswold's lead but denounced the new law.
"Alabama's rolling back of a woman's right to choose is an existential threat to our personal freedom," Polis' office said. "The governor will always defend a woman's right to make her own health care decisions."
In Maryland, the vice chairman of the state's pension system advised system employees not to travel to Alabama for professional purposes.
"It is my hope that this will put the 'leaders' of Alabama, and those of other states who may be contemplating abusing public laws for theocratic gratification, on notice that this is, indeed, 2019," Peter Franchot said in a Facebook post Thursday morning. "Gratuitous attacks on the freedoms and the well-being of women will come at a prohibitive price."
Franchot said he would review the pension system's holdings related to Alabama.
"This will include a full inventory of assets that are invested in Alabama-based companies, as well as all investment managers, brokers and consultants that are headquartered, or have regional offices in that state,;" he said. "I will ask that this review and full inventory of business relationships be presented to the board of trustees on an expedited basis, so that we can hopefully initiate the process of full divestment from the state of Alabama."
These reactions are not new for Alabama. In 2017, California banned state travel to Alabama over the legislature's passing of a bill allowing adoption agencies not to place children with LGBT parents.
(c)2019 Alabama Media Group, Birmingham
