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Protect the unborn? Georgia doesn’t even care for children after they are born.
A restrictive anti-abortion law signed by Governor Kemp in 2019 but tied up in court by lawsuits went into effect on July 20, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The law, which reduces the period in which an abortion can be performed from twenty to six weeks will deny many women access to a vital medical procedure.
Governor Kemp is quoted as saying, “Our family has committed to serving Georgia in a way that cherishes and values each and every human being, and today’s decision by the 11th Circuit affirms our promise to protect life at all stages.” It doesn’t take much research to put the lie to that claim.
Georgia is near the bottom of every statistical measure of child welfare and family well-being. According to the Georgia Family Connection Partnership, even before the devastating impact of Covid 19 on Georgia’s population the state ranked 38th out of 50 in child welfare including:
36th in economic well-being
37th in education
40th in health
39th in family and community supports
While Georgia is forcing women to bear unwanted children by denying them access to the full range of reproductive choices they should have, its lack of commitment to supporting children after they are born is evident in the state’s miserable statistics.
Georgia is slowly casting aside its bigoted, retrograde history, moving toward a future of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and equity. It is up to the state’s voters to speed this process along. The most effective tool for moving the state forward on issues of women’s rights and child welfare is the ballot. In 2020 Georgians showed themselves to be equal to this challenge. But there is much work to be done. The future belongs to those who seize it.