NIRH Denounces Passage of 6-Week Abortion Ban In Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 29, 2019
Contact: Noah Gardy, [email protected], 201-218-6310

The bill follows similar legislation passed in Kentucky and Mississippi and is under consideration in 10 other states

NEW YORK – Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, released the following statement condemning the passage of legislation in Georgia today that would outlaw abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected by an ultrasound. The legislation, which would effectively ban all abortions in Georgia after approximately six weeks of pregnancy, follows similar bans that were passed in Kentucky and Mississippi, and that are under consideration in 10 other states. Bills like these are an attempt to control women’s bodies, criminalize women and providers, and eliminate abortion access entirely.

“Georgia’s six-week abortion ban is yet another bald-faced attempt by anti-abortion extremists to challenge Roe v. Wade and criminalize women and providers,” said Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “To sacrifice people’s lives and health – particularly those of low-income women and women of color – for political points is not just irresponsible, it’s downright repugnant. We urge Governor Kemp to listen to his constituents and not sign this disastrous bill.

We will not stand by as lawmakers seek to control our bodies and stigmatize reproductive health. The National Institute for Reproductive Health will continue to work in states and cities to push back on these laws and pass proactive legislation that advances reproductive health, rights, and justice.”

For more than a decade, NIRH has been a leader in the fight to advance reproductive freedom across the country. Recently, they were integral to the successful effort to repeal an outdated criminal abortion ban in Massachusetts, and they led the fight to pass New York’s landmark Reproductive Health Act. Earlier this year, NIRH published a report tracking the passage of more than 100 bills to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice in 27 states and the District of Columbia.

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health builds power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

Using a partnership model, NIRH provides state and local advocates with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. We form strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of women across the country. Each year, NIRH works in at least 20 states and more than a dozen localities; to date, NIRH has partnered with more than 170 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 43 states and 64 localities across the country.