The Georgia House gave its final approval Friday to legislation that will ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The bill passed 92–78, with 91 needed for approval, and it now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, who said he will sign it into law.
“Georgia values life,” Kemp tweeted after the vote. “We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
“The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state,” he added. “I thank these lawmakers for their leadership and applaud their undeniable courage.”
Kemp said the “efforts to protect life do not end here,” as he promoted an easing of “the adoption process,” a search for “loving homes for those in foster care,” and protection for “the aging & vulnerable.”
State Rep. Ed Setzler, who sponsored House Bill 481, said the legislation is something that “commonsense Georgians” should be proud of, reported the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
“This bill recognizes the fundamental life of the child in the womb is worthy of legal protection and balances that basic right to life with the very different situations women find themselves in in pregnancies,” he said.
In an exclusive comment to Breitbart News, Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Georgia representative Jane Robbins said the legislation is “the most historic pro-life legislation passed in Georgia since Roe v. Wade.”
“The legislators faced withering pressure from pro-abortion forces, including the predictable outrage from Hollywood, but by and large they held firm to their principles,” she added. “CWA is very grateful to all the Georgia leaders who helped get this bill over the finish line.”
Democrat State Rep. Vernon Jones said the approval of the bill could cause Republicans to lose power in the State House.
“If your members vote for this bill in 2020, your party loses,” Jones said. “There’s going to be a new speaker of the House here. If there’s a new speaker, many in your party will lose power, all of you will lose your chairmanships. If you all lose based on this bill, this body is going to change over.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia has already announced it will bring a lawsuit to challenge the legislation.
“If Governor Kemp signs this abortion ban bill into law, the ACLU has one message: We will see you in court,” said Andrea Young, executive director.
Planned Parenthood also condemned the legislation, tweeting, “To the politicians in Georgia and everywhere who are after our rights, we see through your lies.”
In addition to pro-life lawmakers’ ability to withstand protests by the “Handmaids” abortion-rights supporters, most recently, a group of Hollywood writers and elite celebrities, spearheaded by actress Alyssa Milano, threatened to boycott the state if the “heartbeat” abortion ban passed:
In a letter, signed by celebrities such as Alec Baldwin and Sarah Silverman, the actors threatened Georgia lawmakers:
We can’t imagine being elected officials who had to say to their constituents, “I enacted a law that was so evil, it chased billions of dollars out of our state’s economy.” It’s not the most effective campaign slogan, but rest assured we’ll make it yours should it come to pass.
The celebrities threatened to move their film and television industry to “a safer state for women if H.B. 481 becomes law.”
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