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By Rich Levy of Galvanize Georgia
This past week there was a seismic development in American life when Politico published an initial draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court in which it was revealed that the court’s conservative majority had voted to overturn Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey after oral arguments in the case. Though the opinion is only a draft and it is unknown what effect the unprecedented leak of the draft will have on the final ruling, one thing is clear, whether the court completely overturns Roe v. Wade or neutralizes it in a more “moderate” way, we are going to see limited abortion access as compared to what Americans have experienced for the last fifty years.
So how will this affect reproductive rights in Georgia? We have to go back to April 4, 2019, when the Georgia Legislature passed the “Living Infants Fairness Equality (LIFE) Act” HB481 aka “the heartbeat bill” aka “the forced pregnancy bill” which outlawed abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected or at approximately six weeks, which is often prior to the woman knowing she is pregnant. It also confers “personhood” onto the fetus, which opens up a whole other can of worms. Governor Brian Kemp signed it into law on May 7, 2019. The law was declared unconstitutional in District Court in July of 2020. The state appealed the decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals which put a stay on the review of the case until the US Supreme Court decides Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case for which the draft opinion just leaked.
Let us be clear - abortion in Georgia up through the 20th week of pregnancy is still legal in Georgia….for now. The final Supreme Court ruling is expected sometime this summer. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe or chips away at it, it is likely the Eleventh Circuit will allow the Georgia law to go into effect as well. For a list of every elected official in the Georgia Legislature in 2019 who voted in favor of HB481, click here. Many of them are still in office. Let’s never forget the names of those who voted to take away women’s reproductive freedom in Georgia.
Take a deep breath. Good. Now let’s talk about what we do now.
Ultimately, the battle for abortion access will be fought on a number of levels. At the federal level, it will mean working for Democrats to keep control of the US House and Senate and increasing the Democratic senate majority by at least two additional pro-choice Senators who will pledge to abolish the filibuster in order to codify Roe into law. Job one in Georgia is making sure that we reelect Senator Raphael Warnock, the self described pro-choice pastor, to the US Senate for another six year term. You can volunteer or donate by clicking here.
At the state level, we will need to elect pro-choice Democrats up and down the ticket. Most important will be electing Stacey Abrams for Governor and pro-choice Democrats for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. The Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Georgia Senate and determines which legislation comes to the floor for a vote. So having a pro-choice Democratic Lieutenant Governor makes it much less likely that legislation outlawing abortion pills or further erosions of Georgia’s rights will pass. The Attorney General will decide whether or how to enforce any abortion bans in Georgia. And of course the Governor can veto bad legislation as well.
Additionally, we must support pro-choice Democratic candidates for both houses of the Georgia Legislature. It is unlikely that we will be able to flip both houses into Democratic control given the very gerrymandered maps from redistricting (covered here in a past issue of the Peach), but we have to try. According to the AJC nearly 70% of Georgia voters oppose overturning Roe v Wade. So it is a powerful issue, but it requires candidates who are willing to unabashedly face the issue head on.
Which brings us to the May 24th primary elections which will determine who the eventual Democratic nominees will be for the statewide and legislative races we’ve referenced above. So how do you decide? There are nine Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor. We are not going to give endorsements, especially in someone else’s newsletter, but we are going to give you some resources so you can decide for yourself.
The first thing to do is ask yourself how much time you have to invest, what issues are important to you, and how much weight do you ascribe to endorsements. If you are someone who has the time to go deep on candidates, you can check out the Atlanta Press Club Debates who have hosted and archived hour long debates between candidates for Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner and more here. You can find additional videos of candidate forums from Dekalb Democrats here.
If you’re looking for a less time intensive approach, you may want to take the recommendations of people or organizations that you trust. Click the links below for endorsements from the following resources:
- Georgia Equality – whose mission is to advance fairness, safety and opportunity for LGBTQ communities and our allies throughout the state
- Working Families Party - a multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful
- Committee for a New Georgia - the independent affiliated political committee of the New Georgia Project Action Fund
- State Senator Elena Parent - a pro-choice Georgia Senator who is on the right side of pretty much all of the issues. A bright star of the Georgia Legislature and a true leader
- Georgia’s WIN List – which focuses on recruiting, training, supporting, electing, and re-electing pro-choice Democratic women
- Emily’s List - focuses on electing more Democratic pro-choice women to national, state and local office
- Fair Fight Action - promotes fair elections around the country, encourages voter participation in elections, and educates voters about elections and their voting rights
- GCV - Georgia Conservation Voters is on a mission to transform Georgia's political landscape by electing leaders committed to implementing policies that ensure clean water and air, abundant wildlife, scenic landscapes and economic opportunities for all Georgians
If that’s not enough information for you, you can go to the candidates' websites and scour your local news sources to see what they have to offer. Reminder: early voting is happening now so there’s no time like the present to print your sample ballot, research your candidates and vote!
Finally, what can we do right now for the people most likely to be hurt when Roe is overturned? We recommend supporting ARC Southeast, an organization in Georgia that provides funding and logistical support to ensure people across the Southeast receive safe and compassionate reproductive care including abortion services. Your donation can help them eliminate the economic barriers that limit access to reproductive care by providing financial and logistical assistance to those who need support and given what we’ve written above, there are going to be a lot more people who need their help. Click here to give.
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