© 2026 ABC News

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro

\"Appalling news out of #Alabama as lawmakers vote to effectively criminalize abortion. It’s time to stand up and speak out. We must defeat this unconstitutional and shameless attempt to strip women of their right to make health care choices.\"

Appalling news out of #Alabama as lawmakers vote to effectively criminalize abortion. It’s time to stand up and speak out. We must defeat this unconstitutional and shameless attempt to strip women of their right to make health care choices. https://t.co/VgiJ0stS6r

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) May 15, 2019

Former Gov. John Hickenlooper

\"#HB314 will cost Alabama women their lives, and threatens the reproductive rights of women across the country. We must fight back, and our next president must act to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law.\"

#HB314 will cost Alabama women their lives, and threatens the reproductive rights of women across the country. We must fight back, and our next president must act to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law. https://t.co/WzkOdnTEZF

— John Hickenlooper (@Hickenlooper) May 15, 2019

Miramar, Florida Mayor Wayne Messam

\"A woman’s right to reproductive choice is settled law. This is an incredibly difficult decision for a woman and her family. If a medical professional believes a procedure like this is necessary, then the government should not intervene.\"

A woman’s right to reproductive choice is settled law. This is an incredibly difficult decision for a woman and her family. If a medical professional believes a procedure like this is necessary, then the government should not intervene. https://t.co/jWvl2HkIJn

— Wayne Messam (@WayneMessam) May 15, 2019

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan

“Absolutely appalling move from lawmakers in Alabama. This would effectively ban all abortions -- including cases of rape & incest, punish women & threaten doctors. Government has NO place in this conversation.”

Absolutely appalling move from lawmakers in Alabama.

This would effectively ban all abortions -- including cases of rape & incest, punish women & threaten doctors.

Government has NO place in this conversation. https://t.co/6Iu3pwmgp6

— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) May 15, 2019

Marianne Williamson

\"A spate of state abortion bills appearing around the country are intended to overturn Roe v.Wade and intimidate women. Note to courts: American women cannot and will not be intimidated. We will make our own moral choices and our own biological decisions.\"

A spate of state abortion bills appearing around the country are intended to overturn Roe v.Wade and intimidate women. Note to courts: American women cannot and will not be intimidated. We will make our own moral choices and our own biological decisions.

— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) May 14, 2019

\"This is an irresponsible and dangerous law that would make it even more difficult for women to access basic healthcare,\" Montana governor Steve Bullock, the most recent candidate to join the 2020 presidential race, told ABC News. \"As governor, I’ve stopped every single attack on a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, and that’s exactly what I’ll do as president\" he added.

The senior senator from Colorado and a 2020 hopeful, Michael Bennet, also expressed his views on CNN saying, \"I have a friend here who said to me that his daughter is having to fight for rights his wife never had to fight for because her grandmother had won those rights,” on the possible threat of Alabama’s abortion ban bill to Roe v. Wade.

ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett, Justin Gomez, Molly Nagle, Chris Donato, Averi Harper, Lissette Rodriguez, Armando Garcia, Briana Stewart and Meghan Keneally contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/2020-candidates-reacting-alabama-abortion-bill/story?id=63050184","legacySlug":"/news/story/2020-candidates-reacting-alabama-abortion-bill-63050184","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:56","publishDate":"05-15-2019","updatedTime":"20:31","updatedDate":"05-16-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Abortion rights supporters dressed as handmaids take part in a protest against HB314, the abortion ban bill, at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., April 17, 2019.","credit":"Mickey Welsh/Advertiser via USA Today Network, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/alabama-abortion-02-usat-jc-190509_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/15/2019 16:56:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":63050184,"headline":"The Alabama abortion bill: 2020 candidates react ","mediaAssetTitle":"ALABAMA ABORTION\\2020 CANDIDATES","description":"The abortion bill makes no exemptions for victims of rape and incest. ","duration":"8:57","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190516_ntl_alabama_1240_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"The Alabama abortion bill: 2020 candidates react ","description":"The abortion bill makes no exemptions for victims of rape and incest. ","duration":"8:57","uploadDate":"05-15-2019","publication":"05-15-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190516_ntl_alabama_1240_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190516_ntl_alabama_1240_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/2020-candidates-reacting-alabama-abortion-bill-63050184"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132714218","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132701634","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132706335","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132675442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132665875","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132628890","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"The Alabama abortion bill: 2020 candidates react ","pubTime":"12:56","pubDate":"05-15-2019","modTime":"16:31","modDate":"05-16-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":63050184,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"The Alabama abortion bill: 2020 candidates react ","mediaAssetTitle":"ALABAMA ABORTION\\2020 CANDIDATES","videoId":63050184,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/2020-candidates-reacting-alabama-abortion-bill-63050184"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/63050184","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/63050184","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};