Today, Governor Brian Kemp (R, GA) signed a ban on nearly all abortion care into law in the state of Georgia, set to go into effect in 2020.
Dr. Tiffany Hailstorks, ob/gyn in Georgia and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, responded with the following statement:
“Today, I join my fellow health care providers and advocates in extreme disappointment and dismay in response to the dangerous decision to ban nearly all abortion care for the patients I serve across the state of Georgia.
Six-weeks is before most of my patients even know they are pregnant.
“Six-weeks is before most of my patients even know they are pregnant. With the ban set to go into effect in 2020, this step backwards for the rights of women and families in Georgia goes against what medical ethics and years of medical education taught me to base my medical practice on: the right for all patients to be able to receive all of their medical options, and choose what is right for their life, their values, and their family.
“I fear for the well-being of the patients I serve because as we know full well, when abortion is not an option, women and babies have poorer health outcomes, including higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. The impact of this restriction will unequally impact those who already experience barriers to health care, including young women, women of color, those with disabilities, with low incomes, those who live in rural areas, are undocumented, or are LGBTQIA.
“Georgians deserve better. We deserve government officials that represent our needs: access to comprehensive, compassionate health care at all stages of our lives. We will continue to provide this necessary health care and will not stop fighting for this basic right.”