Anti-Abortion Activists Rally on Roe v. Wade Anniversary
Pro-life supporters rallied in the front of Georgia’s Capitol Wednesday on the 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, which legalized most abortions in the U.S.
Hundreds of anti-abortion activists filled the street in front of the state Capitol. They heard Governor Nathan Deal deliver this message in a year where he’s running for re-election.
“I thank you for the work you have done for to keep our state as one of the leaders at the forefront of protecting life, and I was honored to be given a chance to sign the legislation that represents the state of the Georgia and our position which is one of the strongest positions that any state can boast of in this country.”
Georgia Right to Life Legislative Director Mike Griffin said one of the organization’s main focuses this legislative session is a Senate bill banning abortion coverage in state employee insurance policies.
The bill also seeks to prevent abortion coverage in Georgia’s health insurance exchange run by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.
“Georgia is the only southeastern state that has not taken that legislative action and we’re going to be a year behind if it’s passed even this year.”
Governor Deal later told reporters he doesn’t think the legislature needs to vote on the portion of the bill to prevent state employees from receiving abortion coverage, because it was already done last year by Georgia’s Department of Community Health.
“I don’t think so. I think we’ve taken care of it.”
But Deal says he hasn’t specifically looked at the part of the legislation regarding Obama Care. Meanwhile, pro-choice supporter Democratic state Senator Nan Orrock says legislative efforts to chip away at Roe v. Wade are unfortunate.
“The Republicans here in Georgia and around the country continue to wage a war on women. They are focused on taking rights away from women, blocking women’s access to healthcare and standing between a woman and her doctor and trying to dictate what should happen. It’s dead wrong.”
But the question that remains to be answered in a legislative session that’s expected to be shorter than normal after a federal judge moved the election primary from July to May 20, does any anti-abortion legislation have a chance to pass?
The president of Georgia Right to Life, Dan Becker, told WABE he’s hopeful lawmakers will have to the time to approve several pro-life bills before them. Becker says he would particularly like to see passage of the Senate bill restricting abortion coverage in state employee insurance policies and insurance coverage provided to Georgians under the Affordable Care Act.
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