If you’re a pregnant teen in Alabama and you can’t tell your parents, the court appoints a lawyer for your embryo: http://t.co/8Jl9X1QL0D

— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) October 2, 2014

A new Alabama regulation, the most radical parental consent law in the country, puts minors seeking abortions virtually on trial, appoints a guardian for their fetus, and could drag family, friends, and acquaintances into court. The law, currently under challenge by the ACLU, went into effect July 1. It allows the court to appoint the embryo or fetus a “guardian ad litem,” which is a person, usually a lawyer, tasked with advocating for the embryo’s interests in court. It also requires that the district attorney appear to represent the interests of the state — which the law explicitly says are “to protect unborn life.” And the DA can call the young woman’s friends, family members, teachers, or employers as witnesses if he deems it necessary.