Georgia’s ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill Subjects Women Who Get Abortions to Life Sentences, Death Penalty

Stacey Abrams says the decision is in line with voter suppression, and you know who was targeted there.

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “fetal heartbeat” bill this week that would effectively sentence women to life imprisonment and the death penalty if they chose to have an illegal abortion after six weeks.

Most women don’t know at six weeks that they are even pregnant.

The measure, HB 481 abortion ban even chases women who leave the state to get abortions. Conspiracy to commit murder charges, carrying a 10-year sentence, gets slapped on them and anyone that helps them go out of state to get an abortion.

Stacey Abrams who fought against Kemp’s policies on women’s reproductive rights, voter suppression and Medicaid tweeted:

“I realize that some may challenge it in a court of law. But our job is to do what is right, not what is easy. We are called to be strong and courageous, and we will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life,” Kemp said when he signed the bill.

Racism in Healthcare Law

Interesting choice of words– “fight for life”– because there is so much flawed logic and racism here.

Georgia already has the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, and Black women are disproportionately affected, dying in childbirth nearly 3.5 times more frequently than any other race of women.
Blacks are disproportionately also in prison.
The bill also confirms that fetuses “shall be included in population-based determinations.”

So pregnant inmates’ fetuses would then have independent rights, including due process. The state would be illegally holding thousands of citizens in jail without bond. Imprisonment of people (and apparently now fetuses) of color seems to be a theme in this country.


Coincidentally (not), Georgia’s healthcare system is not looking to expand Medicaid, touting its cost, and it has one of the highest uninsured rates in the nation. Also, the state has higher medical costs than most others, and metro Atlanta is pricier than most other cities.

To add insult to injury, 100 rural hospitals in Georgia have shut down and nearly 40 percent of rural hospitals are in danger of closing since 2010, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Patients who utilize those hospitals are more likely to be underinsured.

And we know who the underinsured population looks like.
Women of color also have higher rates of abortion according to the CDC.

An anti-abortion movement

Georgia’s new anti-abortion law is in direct conflict of Roe v. Wade, and the ACLU and Planned Parenthood already have plans to challenge the law in court.

Georgia is the fourth state to enact a bill like this, along with OhioKentucky, and Mississippi. The state of Alabama is currently debating a bill to ban abortion outright and make it punishable by up to 99 years in prison.

All five states have less GDP than the country as a whole.

Since the beginning of 2019, more than 300 pieces of legislation have been introduced aimed at severely restricting or altogether banning access to abortion care in the United States, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).

While the law protects people who have been raped, victims of incest, and cases where the life of the mother is endangered, it pushes punishment for a population that begs the question on whether this law is really about saving lives, medicine, or health.

Related

Trending Now

Follow us

Most Popular

Join Our Newsletter

Get the top workplace fairness news delivered straight to your inbox