MIAMI, March 30, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The governor of the southern US state of
Georgia was expected to sign a bill banning abortion as soon as a heartbeat
is detected, after legislators on Friday approved the text which Hollywood
celebrities vowed to fight.
Abortion is one of the most politically divisive issues in the United
States and numerous states have tried to limit access to abortions.
Georgia’s lower house approved the “heartbeat bill” which prohibits
abortions as soon as the first beats of the fetus are heard — from six weeks
— something that happens when most mothers still don’t know they are
pregnant.
“Georgia values life. We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who
cannot speak for themselves,” Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, wrote in a
statement congratulating legislators.
The country’s major human rights group, the American Civil Liberties
Union, vowed a legal challenge.
“If Gov. Kemp signs this abortion ban bill into law, the ACLU has one
message: we will see you in court,” said Andrea Young, ACLU’s executive
director for Georgia.
Thirteen US states have studied or approved versions of the “heartbeat
bill” this year.
Although judges in Kentucky and Iowa blocked such laws, the aim of those
who promote the legislation is to reach the Supreme Court and reverse the
right to abortion at the national level, according to Planned Parenthood, the
largest organization supporting abortion rights.
The US Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 with its
decision in Roe v. Wade.
Since taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump has named two justices
to the Supreme Court who oppose abortion, leading activists who support
abortion rights to fear that Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
Georgia is an important destination for film and television production,
but dozens of Hollywood celebrities threatened to take their business
elsewhere if the law takes effect.
“We will do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state
for women” if the bill is approved, said a letter to lawmakers signed by
Alyssa Milano, Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer, Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, Mia
Farrow and others.