Georgia Governor Signs Abortion Information Bill Helping Women 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 10, 2005
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) — Women considering an abortion will be entitled to information about its risks and alternatives thanks to legislation signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Sonny Perdue. The new law is the first major abortion measure in the state since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Perdue said that women deserve to have all of the information they need before deciding to have an abortion and he called the bill "a common-sense approach to a sensitive issue."
Sadie Fields of the Georgia Christian Coalition said the signing was a "victory for women in Georgia."
Under the information component of the bill, women thinking about an abortion would receive a brochure showing the development of the unborn child 24 hours ahead of the abortion. The brochure details medical risks, and discusses adoption.
"If you are truly pro-choice you should be for women getting all the information [about abortion]," Fields said.
Planned Parenthood of Georgia and other abortion advocates opposed the bill.
The measure also puts in place a parental notification requirement that parents must be told about their teenager daughter’s request for an abortion.
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.
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.
The Senate approved the measure on a 41-10 vote after the House passed the pro-life bill on a 139 to 35 vote.
A Zogby International poll conducted for Journal-Constitution in late April found that 65 percent of Georgians support the Right to Know bill.
Related web sites:
Georgia State Legislature – https://www.legis.state.ga.us
Georgia Right to Life – https://www.grtl.org
