Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said that he’s not worried about a threatened boycott from Hollywood stars over a “heartbeat bill” that would ban abortions after about six weeks.
Kemp, unabashedly pro-life, has said he supports the bill, which was passed by Georgia lawmakers recently.
Kemp declined to say when he would sign the bill.
“We’ve got a thorough review process that we go through on every bill just to make sure there’s nothing in there that we missed,” he told WSB Radio in an interview published on April 9, putting the deadline at May 10.
Georgia values life. We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state. I thank these lawmakers for their leadership and applaud their undeniable courage. #gapol
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) March 29, 2019
He also said that he’s not worried about potential consequences.
“I don’t believe there will be dire consequences for supporting life in our state,” Kemp told WSB. “The abortion issue is a very tough issue. Even if you don’t agree with the legislation that was passed, you can certainly agree we value life in our state.”
A proposed boycott of the state by about 50 Hollywood stars, led by liberal activist and actress Alyssa Milano, attracted support from a host of people involved in movie and television production.
Amy Schumer, Ben Stiller, and Don Cheadle were among the stars who signed the proposed boycott.
“We cannot in good conscience continue to recommend our industry remain in Georgia if H.B. 481 becomes law,” the letter states.
“We can’t imagine being elected officials who had to say to their constituents, ‘I enacted a law that was so evil, it chased billions of dollars out of our state’s economy.’ It’s not the most effective campaign slogan, but rest assured we’ll make it yours should it come to pass,” said the letter, which was sent to Kemp on March 29.
The bill was passed by the Georgia House of Representatives on March 29 after passing the state Senate.
If signed and not blocked in court, the Georgia law would take effect Jan. 1, 2020.
House Bill 481 is also known as Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act.
The bill states, “Modern medical science … demonstrates that early infants in the womb are a class of living, distinct human beings that, among other individual human traits, have their own distinct blood types, organ systems, and unique fingerprints,” among other traits.
“Unborn children shall be worthy of recognition as natural persons under the laws of this State,” the legislation reads. Under the U.S. Constitution and Georgia law, no person “shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property except by due process of law” and “no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws,” the House bill stated.
Current Georgia law allows abortions up to 20 weeks; if passed, the so-called heartbeat bill would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat was detected, which typically happens in the sixth week of pregnancy.
Exceptions are included if not getting an abortion would pose substantial and irreversible physical harm to the prospective mother or in the case of rape or incest.
