What horrors will the upcoming legislative session hold for Georgia women? Last session women were compared to livestock. Women were told that they would be investigated if they had a miscarriage. They passed HB 954, outlawing abortion after 20 weeks, except in very limited circumstances. What could the Republican super majority have in store for women in the upcoming year? Based on what is going on around the country one can only imagine.
Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, otherwise known as TARP, is the current route many Republican legislators are taking. This means making changes in building requirements for clinics. This would mean millions of dollars in upgrades to parking lots and buildings to bring clinics up to new code standards. This effectively shuts down clinics. It also drives doctors out of states, so they can practice in a less hostile environment. Many rural areas are already lacking in adequate health care for women. This means even fewer doctors to care for rural women.
Forced ultrasounds have been on the agenda recently in many states, most notably Virginia, where much attention was given to their proposed law which would have forced women to have transvaginal ultrasounds before getting an abortion. These are procedures that are not medically necessary. Forcing women to go to a crisis pregnancy center is another possibility. If you go to a clinic seeking an abortion, they have to send you to a crisis pregnancy center.
Fetal Personhood bills are a distinct possibility. It was rejected in Mississippi, but that will not stop the Republican party or groups like Personhood USA and the Family Research Council. This is their ultimate mission. They want to outlaw all abortions. According to NARAL www.prochoiceamerica.org these bills "could also lead to bans on many forms of birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization".
The result of all these legislative ideas that will no doubt be given consideration, is less access to medical care for all women, There will be less medical care for women seeking birth control services. There will be less medical care for women seeking abortion. There will be less medical care for all women as clinics lock their doors and doctors leave the state.
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