January 23, 2023
CONTACT: Grace Akan, 678-522-7552, [email protected]
The announcement comes just after what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
ATLANTA – On Tuesday, January 24 at 1:00 pm, State Senator Sally Harrell (SD40), State Representative
Shea Roberts (HD52), and colleagues will file legislation to repeal HB 481 and a myriad of
medically-unnecessary and politically-motivated abortion restrictions enacted by anti-abortion state
lawmakers since 2005. Entitled the Reproductive Freedom Act (RFA), both House and Senate versions
affirm that every individual who becomes pregnant has the right to choose to continue their pregnancy or have an abortion.
The Reproductive Freedom Act, the first of its kind in the state of Georgia, will prevent individuals from
being criminalized for pregnancy loss and protecting them from potential aggressive state or local
prosecutors. Additionally, the RFA extends access to abortion care for those in rural areas by expanding
the group of trained healthcare professionals who can provide abortion care, and by allowing more
insurance plans to cover abortion care — like ACA plans, state employee plans, and Medicaid.
Less than one year before the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the
1973 decision and Georgia lawmakers worked to reinstate HB 481, a near-total abortion ban that took
effect in July. The result of these decisions is that Georgians are now even more likely to experience
delayed care and lack of access, leading to increased health risks and economic harm. Abortion providers, advocates, researchers, and supportive lawmakers gathered on Saturday, January 21 before what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe to discuss the need to expand access in the state beyond the inequalities that persisted under Roe, and expand access until everyone in Georgia can live, thrive, and raise families in healthy communities.
“We are fighting for reproductive freedom beyond Roe,” says Roula AbiSamra, a member of the
campaign for a Reproductive Freedom Act and state campaign director for the Amplify GA
Collaborative, a group of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations and allies who
helped draft the RFA. “Roe was never enough to ensure everyone can get the care they need. We
must think bigger and our solutions must be bolder than restoring us to the bare minimum of
reproductive access.”
Feminist Women’s Health Center (FWHC) is a reproductive health, rights, and justice organization. We provide direct services, education, advocacy, leadership development, and movement building with people across all axes of oppression so that we have the rights, resources, and respect to make empowered, informed decisions about our own bodies and health.
The press conference will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at 1:00 pm
on the South stairs of the Georgia State Capitol.
For a media kit including links to all referenced research, go to tinyurl.com/BeyondRoepresskit.
For more information, please contact Grace Akan at 678-522-7552 or [email protected]m.
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Feminist Women’s Health Center (FWHC) is a reproductive health, rights, and justice organization. We provide direct services, education, advocacy, leadership development, and movement building with people across all axes of oppression so that we have the rights, resources, and respect to make empowered, informed decisions about our own bodies and health.
