Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.
Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.
Lands, a Democrat, on Tuesday decisively defeated Republican Teddy Powell to win the open House of Representatives seat in a suburban district that — while increasingly politically moderate — had long been held by the GOP. Her victory was celebrated by Democrats who said it underscores the importance of reproductive rights as an issue across the country ahead of the 2024 elections.
“Voters want something different, and I think they are tired of women’s freedoms and reproductive health care not being addressed,” Lands told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Alabama bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy with no exception for pregnancies arising from rape. Lands’ victory comes several weeks after in vitro fertilization services were temporarily paused in the state after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling equating frozen embryos to children.
Lands, a licensed mental health counselor, had also campaigned on education and economic development issues, but took square aim at the state’s abortion ban, at times invoking the deeply personal to do so. She shared her story of obtaining an abortion two decades ago after genetic testing determined the baby had trisomy 13, a genetic disorder, and could not survive.
