The Georgia House gave final approval Friday to legislation outlawing abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, sending the bill to Kemp. If enacted, it’d be among the strictest abortion bans in the U.S.
Signing the toughest abortion law in the country was a campaign pledge of Kemp’s during his run for governor last year.
“Georgia values life,” Kemp said in a statement Friday. “The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state.”
The measure was approved by just one vote more than the majority needed to pass out of the House: 92 votes from the 180-member chamber.
Following the vote, a tense situation erupted when law enforcement confronted several Democratic lawmakers and protesters speaking against the bill in the halls of the Capitol, threatening to arrest people if a crowd didn’t disperse and stop chanting “shame”.

Georgia joins a string of other GOP-controlled states moving to enact strict abortion bans, with the ultimate goal of getting a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The push comes amid rising optimism among conservatives that the restrictions might prevail in the reconfigured high court that includes President Donald Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion during the first 20 weeks of a pregnancy. A heartbeat can be detected in an embryo as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
The bill would make exceptions in the case of rape and incest — but only when the woman files a police report first — and to save the life of the mother. It also would allow for abortions when a fetus is determined not to be viable because of serious medical issues.
Republican Rep. Ed Setzler, the bill’s author, said it was a “commonsense” measure that seeks to balance “the difficult circumstances women find themselves in with the basic right to life of a child.”
Democratic Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick called the legislation a “death warrant” for women in Georgia, noting that the state already has one of the nation’s worst maternal mortality rates.
The ACLU of Georgia said it will challenge the law in court if it’s signed by Kemp.
“Under 50 years of Supreme Court precedent, this bill is blatantly unconstitutional,” Sean Young, legal director for the ACLU of Georgia, said in an interview Friday. “That is why every single federal court that has considered such bans has struck them down.”
The legislation faced a groundswell of opposition, including Democratic lawmakers and protesters saying on social media and in person that lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill would be targeted in 2020 elections.
A group of women at the Georgia Capitol protested the bill dressed as characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which depicts a dystopian future where women are controlled by the government and forced to reproduce. The activists in red cloaks and white bonnets have been an almost daily presence since the House first passed the measure earlier this month.
Two influential groups, the Medical Association of Georgia and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, sent letters to lawmakers opposing the legislation.
The legislation also was opposed by the Writers Guild of America, which represents TV and film writers, and several Hollywood celebrities, who signed an open letter to Kemp in opposition. The letter was spearheaded by actress Gabrielle Union and includes Alec Baldwin, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Mia Farrow and others.
That’s significant because Georgia is a burgeoning production hub for TV and film, with 455 productions shot in Georgia in fiscal year 2018, representing $2.7 billion in direct spending in the state.
GOP lawmakers in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and Ohio are pursuing similar legislation, while Republican governors in Mississippi and Kentucky have recently signed heartbeat abortion bans.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a heartbeat abortion ban on March 21, despite a federal judge’s ruling last year that struck down a less-restrictive law limiting abortions there. Kentucky’s law was temporarily blocked by a federal judge shortly after Republican Gov. Matt Bevin signed it March 14, in response to a challenge by the ACLU. A state judge found Iowa’s heartbeat abortion ban to be unconstitutional in January.
If signed and not blocked in court, the Georgia law would take effect Jan. 1, 2020.


Today we talked about a really dedicated organization that is looking for mentors. Best Kids in a non-profit based in DC that offers one-on-one mentoring to kids in foster care ages 6 to 21. Krislyn Mossman Executive Director & Nia Brown Recruitment & Communications Specialist spoke about how this program is really changing lives and about their desperate need for male mentors. This organization is truly committed to young people and fostering relationships that help children make the right decision for the right outcomes for their lives and the community they live in.








WSSC issues boil water advisory…
Gayle King is grabbing national headlines this morning once again. This time she is sitting down with the two women who claim they were sexually assaulted or raped by Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax.
The candy maker Brach’s is planning to sell candy inspired by the late pop icon Prince. The candy is called Purple Rain Tiny Jelly Birds. The flavors include berry, blue raspberry, blueberry, and grape. The Jelly Birds will be made available for purchase on April 21st which marks the 3rd anniversary of Princes’ death.


































DC City officials have announced that they will be giving out 76,000 life-saving naloxone kits for Opioid overdoses. Leaders plan to buy another 10,000 kits in the coming months. The kits will be given out by police and health organizations by September 30.


















Police are looking for the person or people who dropped off a gunshot victim Wednesday morning. Investigators say the male victim was left at the Prince George’s Hospital Center around 12:40.













Three of the five Duval High School students involved in a car accident yesterday remain in grave condition. The seniors were in a car headed back to school after lunch. According to police reports, a vehicle pulling out of a driveway on Good Luck Road hit them. The three in the backseat were partially ejected from the Nissan. Police say none of the students were wearing seat belts.
The Government watchdog group Public Citizen says private donations to elected officials in DC for residents in need are not going to them. The money goes into an account known as a Constituent Services Funds. The money given is supposed to be used for residents in emergency situations in need of help to pay a light bill, funeral services etc..









The person in charge of auditing government programs, Kathleen Patterson does not agree with Mayor Muriel Bowsers budget proposal for the city.
The impacts of the police involved shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old Antwon Rose promoted hundreds of students in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to walk out of school.









