Georgia's New Hearbeat Bill and One Representative's Amazing Response

Abortion has been a heavy topic in the news lately, and thanks to our new pro-life governor, Georgia may be adopting the “heartbeat bill” very soon. Georgia’s current governor, republican Brian Kemp, stated during his campaign for governor that he would fully support a heartbeat bill that outlawed abortion after six weeks, and he has made good on that promise.

The bill, creatively titled HB 481, was written by Georgia’s 35th district representative, Ed Setzler. Having already passed the House committee, the bill is now on its way to the state Senate for a vote; if it passes (and it is expected to), it’ll be sent right to Kemp’s desk for his eager stamp of approval.

Currently, women in Georgia may seek an abortion at up to twenty weeks of pregnancy. This bill, though, seeks to drastically change that to six weeks, the time that a fetal heartbeat can be detected - but also a time before most women even know they are pregnant. The bill does grant exceptions for fetuses that would not live past birth, for women whose lives are at stake should the pregnancy continue, and in cases of rape and incest - but that last amendment comes with a few hoops to jump through: the pregnant woman must file a police report before trying to get her abortion.

As a response to this extreme bill, Georgia state representative Dar’shun Kendrick asked her staff to compose a new bill, one she called ‘The Testicular Bill of Rights’. She writes that under this legislation, she proposes banning vasectomies and blacklisting doctors who perform them; she also says that paternity testing should be required at eight weeks of pregnancy, and the expectant father must begin paying child support right away. She also writes that men must get permission from their sexual partner before asking their doctor for a prescription for Viagra.

Under this bill, sex without a condom would be classified as aggravated assault. As the cherry on top, she wrote that she would like to implement a 24-hour waiting period for any man who wants to buy porn or sex toys. Kendrick admits that this bill will probably never get passed - but she says that if men are going to legislate women’s bodies, women will do it right back.

So will the ‘Testicular Bill of Rights’ ever pass? Probably not. However, the heartbeat bill has a good shot - and if it does, several more will pop up across the country. So, whatever your opinion, get out there and tell the world.

UPDATE:

On March 15, 2019, the Georgia State Senate passed the Heartbeat Bill. The bill has one final stop to make before being signed into law, and that’s Governor Brian Kemp’s desk; Kemp must sign the bill (which he will) to have it as part of our Georgia legislature.

However, some organizations in the area are planning on filing a lawsuit against the bill the moment it’s signed into effect; and with the lawsuit against it, the bill wouldn’t be enforceable. Of course, the writers of the bill are well aware of this plan; they’d like to get the lawsuit to the Supreme Court for a chance to overrule Roe v. Wade.

If this bill gets passed, not only will many citizens be outraged, but Georgia will then face a major financial setback. The television industry is saying that if Georgia passes the bill, they’ll stop filming in Georgia; and as of 2017, Georgia was the number one film industry in the world, bringing in around $9.5 billion dollars a year. If Georgia was to lose this industry, hundreds of people would be out of jobs.

A lot is happening with this bill, and it’s hard to keep up with. But one thing is for sure: things are going to be shaken up soon!

https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/jen-jordan-dissent-481-the-heartbeat-bill/HlAch2iENhbttw6GTDpqxH

By Alexa Freedman