10 Apr 2018

2018 Session: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

by | posted in: 2018, Legislation, Personhood, Pro-Life Action, Pro-Life Advocates, Resources | 0

2018 Session - It Ain't Over Till It's OverJune 2018 – Article 2:   

The 2018 Georgia General Assembly was very busy for Georgia Right to Life (GRTL). This year the primary focus was the “Woman’s Right to Recover Act” (HB 882). This legislation was sponsored by Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-22). It would give women who have been harmed during an abortion the right to take legal action against an abortionist.

Additionally, it would give a private right of action (allow women to bring a lawsuit, even though such a remedy may not be explicitly provided for) against an abortionist who fails to comply with the Woman’s Right to Know Act (HB 197), which was passed in 2005. The Woman’s Right to Know Act requires abortionists to inform women on the following information:

  • Medical risks of abortion
  • Abortion methods and associated medical risks
  • The possible detrimental psychological effects
  • Medical risks of carrying a pregnancy to term
  • Probable gestational age of the baby at the time the abortion is to be performed.
  • Father’s responsibility
  • Medical assistance benefits may be available to prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care
  • Information on free ultrasounds

GRTL gained support for HB 882 from the Christian Medical and Dental Association, the Family Policy Alliance, Georgia Baptist Mission Board, Faith & Freedom Coalition and Concerned Women for America of Georgia. Despite the support for the legislation, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wendell Willard stated that he did not like the idea of suing doctors and refused to give it a hearing. For years, meaningful pro-life legislation has been blocked by leadership in the House.

GRTL supports the following legislation:

The “Hidden Predator Act of 2018” (HB 605) would extend the statute of limitations (SOL) for childhood sexual abuse civil lawsuits. It would grant victims of these horrific crimes more time to seek justice against their abuser and the institution that failed to protect them. This legislation was sponsored by Rep. Jason Spencer (R-180) after victims of childhood sexual abuse from his district approached him about the issue.

It usually takes decades for victims to comprehend the psychological and emotional damage they have suffered and find the strength to disclose the abuse. Unfortunately, by the time the victim does come forward the statute of limitations has frequently expired and the perpetrator cannot be held accountable.

The Hidden Predator Act would help identify hidden child sexual predators and the entities that foster and protect them. It would complement existing laws with meaningful civil remedies that will provide justice to victims and expose the predators and their enablers in society. This bill has passed the Georgia House without any “no” votes, out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 22, and was scheduled to be voted on in the Senate on March 27, but no such vote took place. Hopefully it will make through the legislative process and pass by March 29th, the last day of the 2018 session.

Additionally, Georgia Right to Life supports the “Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act” (SB 375). This legislation was introduced by Sen. William Ligon (R-3) in response to the faith-based protections being removed from HB 159, which passed and has been signed by the Governor.

Faith-based child-placement agencies in three states including Illinois, Massachusetts, and California, and in the District of Columbia, have shut down due to state policies that discriminate against their sincerely held religious beliefs regarding the biblical view of the family.

As a Christian ministry, Georgia Right to Life is very concerned about the drastic erosion of our first amendment rights and strongly supports efforts to protect those rights, as well as ethical and moral adoption at every level. The State of Georgia has a constitutional duty to protect the First Amendment freedoms for religious persons and their institutions. This legislation is specifically designed to protect faith-based adoption agencies from future discrimination.

Unfortunately, this legislation is also being held in the House Judiciary and is not moving forward.

There are 3 bills the Personhood Amendment, the Pre-born tax credit and the Abortion Pill Reversal that were introduced in 2017 and carried over to this year, but no action was taken on any of these bills.

Defending Personhood takes many forms including: empowering women harmed by abortion; granting better protections for victims of sexual abuse; and ensuring faith-based adoption agencies are not silenced.

These are hotly-contested issues, but GRTL will never compromise for the sake of political gain.

Jessica Dubois

Governmental Affairs Representative