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Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Responds to Governor Kemp’s Decision to Appeal SisterSong v. Kemp Ruling on Major Abortion Case
For Immediate Release: August 11, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
Today, Governor Brian Kemp and the state of Georgia officially appealed U.S. District Judge Steve Jones’ ruling in SisterSong v. Kemp, a case centered on an extreme and unconstitutional bill (HB 481) that attempted to ban abortion before many people even know they’re pregnant.
Judge Jones struck down the ban — which was signed by Kemp in 2019 after narrowly passing in the state legislature by only two votes — last month on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution. The case has now been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
In response to Kemp’s appeal, NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Director Laura Simmons released the following statement:
“It should go without saying that in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis that has already taken over 4,000 Georgian lives, the last thing Governor Kemp should be doing is doubling down on his support for a reckless and unconstitutional bill that will take important medical decisions out of the hands of patients, families, and their doctors. And yet here he is, once again prioritizing his own extreme ideological agenda over the needs of Georgians.
The truth is that Radical Right politicians like Kemp are happy to trade our most fundamental freedoms in a desperate attempt to score political points with the vocal minority of voters who oppose the right to abortion. The way Kemp sees it, if the collateral damage happens to be the lives, health, and well-being of women and families, so be it.
Unfortunately for Kemp, Georgians are used to tough fights. Thanks to the leadership of our partners who have been fighting this case since day one, we’re confident that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will see this law for what it is: A cruel and unlawful attempt at denying Georgians the freedom to control their own lives, destinies, and futures.”
If Judge Jones’ ruling on SisterSong v. Kemp is overturned, the law will ban abortion before many people even know they’re pregnant, and could throw doctors in jail and lead to women being investigated for a miscarriage.
Georgia already has some of the most severe restrictions on abortion in the United States, including bans on abortion throughout pregnancy, forcing a woman to wait 24 hours before she can receive abortion care, and subjecting women to mandatory biased counseling.
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NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”
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