View a recording of the press call here.
ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia physicians today applauded Sen. Raphael Warnock for voting yesterday in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have protected the federal right to access abortion care. The necessary and long-overdue legislation was voted on as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case guaranteeing the constitutional right to abortion. Republicans in the Senate defeated the bill, which had been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives already.
“As a physician practicing in Georgia, I want to applaud Sen. Raphael Warnock for voting in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and for voting to safeguard individuals’ right to access abortion care,” said Dr. Didi Saint Louis, an Atlanta OB/GYN and member of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “Sen. Warnock deserves credit for standing up for women’s health, safety, and well-being, and for standing up to Georgia and Washington politicians who are working around the clock to ban abortion access. Abortion care in an integral part of reproductive health care, and taking away access means taking away people’s autonomy to make the health care choices that are right for them. Physicians will continue to support leaders like Senator Warnock who respect patients’ privacy to make decisions around abortion with their physicians, free from political interference.”
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law in 2019 that prohibits a pregnant person from getting an abortion after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, considered to be around 6 weeks – when many pregnant people may have just missed their first period and don’t even know they are pregnant. For context and accuracy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says at six weeks, a woman is carrying an embryo, not a fetus. The Georgia law has been put on hold pending a final, official Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
“People seek abortions for many reasons, and Sen. Raphael Warnock is, thankfully, committed to ensuring all Georgians and all Americans can access this health care,” said Dr. Mimi Zieman, an Atlanta OB/GYN, and a member of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “When access to abortion is restricted, pregnant people are forced to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, if they are able to afford to travel and take time off, or to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term if they cannot. Georgians shouldn’t have to pay exorbitant costs, risk losing a job, or give birth if they don’t want to, and we thank Sen. Warnock for standing up for Georgians’ freedoms.”
Abortions are a safe, normal and integral part of reproductive health care. For many patients, they are vital to overall health and well-being, a position that has the support of the American Medical Association, the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, the American College of Family Physicians and many professional medical associations. At least 24 professional medical associations signed a letter opposing bans against abortions.
“In a state with an atrocious maternal mortality rate that is actually worsening, evidence shows that banning abortions would significantly increase the number of women who die during childbirth, and Gov. Kemp and politicians who want to ban abortions must be held accountable,” said Dr. Nadine Becker, an Atlanta OB/GYN, and a member of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “These risks will fall disproportionately on Black women, who are three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women and much more likely than white women in Georgia to suffer from hypertension. Pre-existing hypertension and hypertensive diseases from pregnancy can contribute to the risk of preeclampsia, stroke and cardiovascular disease, which are the leading causes of maternal deaths in Georgia.”
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