On May 7th when Governor Kemp signed HB481 the abortion debate intensified despite the legislation not going into effect until January 1, 2020. Demonstrations and movie studios re-evaluating their Georgia investments continue to dominate the news cycle.
This morning the House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing entitled “Threats to Reproductive Rights in America”. Ranking member and 9th District Congressman Doug Collins had an eloquent opening statement that included in part,
“Contending an unborn child has no life to lose becomes impossible when we reflect — even momentarily — on what an abortion entails. . .. Let us not speak of abortion as a victimless choice. At best, abortions aim to ease one person’s suffering at the expense of another person’s existence. We must cultivate compassion and practical support for women who find themselves pregnant under difficult or oppressive circumstances, and we must protect the most defenseless humans among us — those living in the womb. One person’s reproductive right cannot outweigh another person’s right to live.”
Video of Congressman Collins’ complete opening statement is available here. He spared little in calling out his Committee Chair’s hypocrisy at the close of his statement.