Al Jazeera shows staggering hypocrisy in attacking Alabama abortion law

CAIRO - 16 May 2019: The Doha-based Al Jazeera posted a Facebook video portraying Alabama abortion legislation as dangerous, but Al Jazeera’s home country of Qatar imprisons women for unauthorized abortions, the Daily Caller reported late on Wednesday.

The Facebook video describes abortion legislation, H.B. 314, the state’s governor signed into law Wednesday. “People are going to die,” Helmi Henkin, an abortion rights activist, said in the video posted Wednesday.


Al Jazeera did not portray a person in favor of H.B. 34 in the video.

Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious & that every life is a sacred gift from God. https://t.co/DwKJyAjSs8 pic.twitter.com/PIUQip6nmw

— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) May 15, 2019

Al Jazeera is based out of Doha, Qatar, a country where abortions are not permitted in almost all cases. Qatari law mandates that women who procure abortions “without medical necessity” be sentenced up to three years of prison time.

Men or doctors who procure abortions for Qatari women can be sentenced to 10 years of prison time.

A Syria policy adviser for the charity Help Refugees, Oz Katerji, responded in a tweet. “In Qatar, abortions are only legal if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Women who receive an ‘unauthorized’ abortion face 5 years in jail,” Katerji said.

In Qatar, abortions are only legal if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Women who receive an "unauthorised" abortion face 5 years in jail. https://t.co/iYKexkIlkR

— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) May 15, 2019

“I respect a lot of the work AJ do, and I think it is crucial that people unite in condemnation of this barbarism taking place in US states, but the hypocrisy here is staggering,” Katerji continued.

The Alabama Senate passed H.B. 314 Tuesday, a near-total ban on abortions that makes no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law. The law, which will take effect in six months, is the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S.

The only exception is for when “abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk,” according to the bill’s text. All other abortion procedures are classified under the new law as Class A felonies, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. The abortion provider would be charged with the felony, but the mother would not be charged.

According to the article, Al Jazeera did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.