Georgia Legislature Passes Abortion Information Bill, Heads to Governor 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 4, 2005
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) — The Georgia state legislature has given final approval to legislation that would require abortion practitioners to provide women with information about abortion’s risks and alternatives prior to the abortion. The bill now heads to Governor Sonny Perdue, who is expected to sign it.
The state Senate gave final approval to the bill, which also cleared the state House and also puts in place a parental notification requirement that parents must be told about their teenager daughter’s request for an abortion.
The Senate approved the measure on a 41-10 vote after a short debate. The House passed the pro-life bill on a 139 to 35 vote.
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 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.
Pro-life groups support the measure and say it will significantly reduce abortions in the state if it becomes law.
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 State Legislature – https://www.legis.state.ga.us
Georgia Right to Life – https://www.grtl.org
