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GRTL Legislative Priorities for 2007-2008 Legislative Session
In recent years, the number of abortions in the United States has been
decreasing, but there has been no decrease in Georgia. From the peak year
of 1990, there has been a 17% decrease in abortions in Georgia. However,
passing pro-life legislation in our neighboring state of South Carolina has led
to over a 50% drop in the number of abortions since 1988.
Advanced Directives
 An
advance directive is a document that states what medical procedures you want
done in case you have a serious illness or accident and are unable to speak for
yourself. You can use an advance directive in two ways. You can appoint a
relative or friend to make medical decisions for you. Or you can specify which
medical procedures you do or do not want performed. Physicians are required to
follow your instructions or transfer your care to a physician who will. An
advance directive helps ensure that your wishes will be followed. However with
24 other states, Georgia allows physicians or administrators to override the
wishes or desires of an advanced directive. The wishes of the individual
should be, regardless of the personal opinions of physicians or administrators.
 Full Disclosure Ultrasound Act
This bill requires that an ultrasound be performed on each unborn
child before an abortion. The mother would be offered an opportunity
to view the ultrasound image of her unborn child. If the abortion
facility does not have ultrasound equipment, the woman may be referred
to a hospital or other facility that has the equipment.
 Georgia Abortion Complication
Reporting Act
To protect women’s health, a physician shall
file a report with the State Department of Human Resources regarding each
patient who comes under the physician’s professional care and requires medical
treatment or suffers death that the attending physician has a reasonable basis
to believe is a primary, secondary, or tertiary result of an induced
abortion.
Human
Cloning Ban
The Human Cloning Ban is intended to ban the
creation of a human being at the embryonic stage of life through the “somatic
cell nuclear” method of cloning. Human cloning is the creation of a
human being genetically identical to another human being already in
existence. That is, the clone has one parent, not two. Cloning is
profoundly unethical and the Act would ban all human cloning.
Human Dignity Act
Also known as the Georgia Starvation and Dehydration of Persons with
Disabilities Prevention Act, the Human Dignity Act addresses the need
for the prevention of starvation and dehydration of persons with
disabilities. The bill will establish a presumption that every person
without a written advanced directive that is legally incapable of
making health care decisions has directed his or her health care
providers to provide him or her with nourishment and hydration to a
degree that is sufficient to sustain life.
Non-Embryonic Stem-Cell
Act
After
the 2006 session, Governor Perdue signed an executive order that created a
stem-cell tissue bank. Although the tissue bank will be established, major
components of the original legislation were not part of the executive order. In
addition, an executive order is not statutory code. An executive order can be
repealed or terminated at any point in time. In addition, future governors are
not bound by previous executive orders. It ,may be necessary to revisit the
terminology, concepts, and language from last year’s bill and address this
critical issue through legislation. Georgia Right to Life will continue to
support efforts that promote stem cell research that does not kill human
embryos.
Action Steps: To get up to date
information on the 2007 legislative session, sign up to receive our Action
Alerts.
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