Georgia’s Governor Deal is considering signing a law that requires a woman to have a baby after 20 weeks even if it’s a stillborn, rape or life in jeopardy called HB 954. This is the first time legal abortions will be banned in the state of Georgia. Women know who they are and what is good for own life. However, our state government does not want to trust women’s judgment nor their Doctors about their own health.
Somehow, the Georgia Legislature decided they know better! Therefore most women with high-risk pregnancies, what if you die or a painful death of a baby is the result. They don’t care! HB 954 leaves no exception for serious fetal anomalies that would present during the middle weeks of a pregnancy. Nationally, less than 1.4% of abortions occur past 20 weeks. Those performed become public report to be published by the Department of Community Health as well. Therefore, women do not have the right of Privacy under HB 954.
Further, HB 954 will create an even more dangerous climate for doctors than already exists, because doctors who are involved in abortions past 20 weeks that do not meet the bill's restrictions could be charged with a felony and face up to 10 years in prison. The bill, commonly referred to as the "fetal pain" bill, says that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks; therefore the state has an interest in protecting it.
There is no “substantial medical evidence” that fetuses are capable of feeling pain as indicated in the findings of HB 954. The prevailing scientific understanding, endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is that the capacity for functional pain perception may begin around week 29-30—well into the third trimester. The word “may” is used as there is increasing evidence that the fetus remains in continuous sleep-like unconsciousness or sedation while in-utero, suggesting that amniotic fluid may act as analgesia throughout the pregnancy.
Men & Women have to be the solution to this errs in judgment. Our future for Reproductive Justice and Women’s Health care should begin here. Women and families should not have their very personal decisions regarding their medical decisions overruled by members of their legislature. Begin pondering what is your role you want to play, how do you want to see yourself within this shared multicultural and multigenerational leadership effort? We need to defend women’s rights and pursuit of equality Nationwide. Beginning here, we need to come together as one to tell members of our State Government as well as Congress in Washington DC and legislators in all 50 states, “Enough is enough!” We should not stop until Justice prevails. Remember Health Care Discrimination Costs Women One Billion Dollars A Year
