Georgia State House Approves Abortion Info, Parental Notification Measures 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 23, 2005
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) — The Georgia state House has approved a measure that will significantly reduce abortions in the state if it becomes law. The bill requires abortion facilities to tell women about abortion’s risks and alternatives and requires telling parents when their teenage daughter considers an abortion.
Parents would have to notified over the phone or in person about the minor teen’s abortion request, under the measure.
Under the information component of the bill, women thinking about an abortion would be entitled to information 24 hours in advance, including a brochure showing the development of the unborn child.
Women would also be told that the father of the child is required to pay for child support if he is threatening to leave her if she doesn’t have an abortion.
The House passed the pro-life bill on a 139 to 35 vote and it now heads to the Senate, where a committee approved a similar bill earlier this month.
Republican Representative Sue Burmeister of Augusta is the sponsor of the House bill.
The legislation is patterned after legislation that, in other states, has reduced the number of abortions by one-third. Parental notification measures have reduced teen abortions by 30 percent or more.
Casey Grist of Suwanee, who had an abortion when she was 19, said she has had two miscarriages and two premature births since then. She indicated that the abortion business never told her of the possible medical risks associated with abortion.
"I’ve learned since that some of these complications could’ve been a result of abortion," Grist said, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
A recent poll shows that a strong majority of Georgia residents support the Woman’s Right to Know measure.
Conducted for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, about 60 percent of Georgia voters indicated they "strongly" or "somewhat" supported the legislation. Only 33 percent indicated they "strongly" or "somewhat" opposed the idea.
Related web sites:
Georgia Right to Life – https://www.grtl.org
Georgia State Legislature – https://www.legis.state.ga.us
