Latest news with #GeorgiaPrenatalEqualProtectionAct
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Total abortion ban in Ga? Advocates talk new bill in state house
ATLANTA, Ga. (WSAV) – A bill introduced in the state house could effectively ban elective abortions in Georgia. The legislation, House Bill 441, is called the Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, and it would remove the 6-week timeframe where it is still legal to have an elective abortion under current Georgia law. It would also remove exceptions that allow for an abortion in cases of rape or incest. The only remaining exception in the proposed legislation would be in rare cases where the mother's life is in imminent danger. Supporters and those against HB 441 lined the halls of the Capitol this week. 'We saw state troopers have to show up in numbers to make sure that things stayed civil,' Allison Coffman, Executive Director of the Amplify GA Collaborative, said. At a Wednesday hearing, the room was full, but many more waited outside the doors to make their voices heard. 'This would create a crime scene and force doctors and nurses to choose between risking their livelihoods and providing necessary care,' Alicia Stallworth, GA campaigns director for Reproductive Freedom for All Georgia, said. 'Especially when we have rural hospital closures, and we have maternal mortality rates going up a result of these abortion bans.' Advocates for the legislation argued that they are trying to ensure equal protections for the unborn. 'A child, why should they be murdered for the sin of a person?' State Rep. Emery Dunahoo (R-GA-31, a sponsor of HB 441, questioned during the hearing. The bill would give protection to human embryos from the moment of fertilization. Some argue the proposed restrictions could lead people to seek abortion care outside of a medical setting. 'We need legislators to understand that to keep our community safe within Georgia, we have to say no to HB 441 because people are going to take it in their own hands.' Leah Jones, Director of Maternal Health and Birth Equity Initiatives at SisterSong, said. 'These types of bills kill. They're dangerous, and they're violent.' Others remarked on the fact that, under the proposed legislation, homicide charges could be brought against a pregnant person as well as a medical professional who participates in an abortion or provides follow up care from a miscarriage. 'If there's a loss of pregnancy and they need any kind of additional termination process or procedure, the physician may be too terrified, maybe laws are too restrictive for them to understand how they can move forward in their practice,' Jones said. HB 441 did not get a committee vote, and the Georgia legislative session ends next week, meaning it's unlikely the bill will pass this session. However, advocates say, the bill is likely to be reintroduced next session. 'As somebody who has experienced multiple miscarriages on my journey to becoming a mother, it is heartbreaking and quite scary to imagine a Georgia where myself, my friends, other folks I know, would encounter the legal system when trying to navigate a devastating experience of pregnancy loss.' WSAV reached out to every representative that sponsored this bill but has not yet received a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Georgia General Assembly: Early voting, abortion and delta-THC
Legislation clamping down on early voting, restricting transgender athletes' participation in sports, and unraveling the mystery of Georgia's sky-high insurance premiums are on state lawmakers' agendas. Driving the news: The Georgia General Assembly is entering its final week, and lawmakers are practicing legislative judo to get their pet proposals across the finish line before Sine Die, the day the session formally ends, on April 4. Here's a look at what's moving, stopping and stalled. 🗳️ Elections Senate Republicans are pushing a 26-page bill that would require poll workers to hand count ballots and force Georgia to leave a multi-state voter integrity group. The full Senate and House must vote on the measure before it heads to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, the AJC reports. A proposal by state Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), to end Georgia's use of touchscreen voting machines may wait until 2026 for a vote, the AJC reports. 🏠 School safety House Bill 268, which would (among other things) require schools to develop safety plans in the event of a shooting, provide suicide prevention training, and help schools hire behavioral health coordinators, is waiting for a Senate vote. 📵 Cellphones in schools If signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, House Bill 340 will require districts to restrict access to cellphones and other personal electronic devices for kindergarten through eighth-grade public school students. ⚕️ Reproductive rights The Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, or House Bill 441, would define life as beginning at conception and effectively outlaw all abortions in the state. The bill, which must still pass out of committee and both chambers, would also create legal risks for IVF providers, according to witnesses who testified against the legislation. 🌿 Hemp Legislation limiting the amount of delta-THC compounds in tinctures and edibles and outright banning THC beverages will likely wait until next year, House Regulated Industries Committee chair Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) said. Another proposal in the House would create a committee to study "intoxicating cannabinoids in consumable hemp products," potentially giving lawmakers, industry players and users more time to find common ground. 🤰 Maternal health A bill sponsored by state Sen. Sally Harrell (D-Brookhaven) would require corn masa flour and similar products made and sold in Georgia to contain folic acid. Public health officials say the measure could help pregnant Latina women who don't get enough of the nutrient. 🙏 Religious freedom House Republicans revived a controversial — and seemingly stuck — effort to add protections on the local and state levels for people who feel they face discrimination because of their faith. Critics say the legislation, which awaits a Senate vote, would create a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people. ⚖️ Tort reform Legislation putting limits on third parties that finance civil lawsuits — the second and final piece of Kemp's " tort reform" push — has received Senate approval and awaits final passage in the House. Separate legislation reducing the liability of property owners for crimes committed on their property was amended after pushback from advocates for sex trafficking survivors. The bill awaits Kemp's signature. 🏳️⚧️ Transgender rights State Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah)'s measure to ban transgender minors from receiving puberty-blocking medications now permits some access with parental consent, the Georgia Recorder reports. 💵 Insurance reform State lawmakers would study why insurance premiums in Georgia have skyrocketed and possible reforms under a proposal approved Wednesday by a House committee.
