Who is Stalling Equal Protection in Georgia?
ATLANTA, GA - Time is running out for Georgia Republicans to pass HB 441, the Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act. All bills must receive a hearing in committee, a committee vote and then a full vote on the floor of the House by “Crossover Day,” which is Thursday, March 6.
While HB 441, authored by Representative Emory Dunahoo, has been co-sponsored by 21 Georgia House Republicans. More legislators have signed onto HB 441 in Georgia than have signed onto any equal protection bill before. Additionally, HB 441 was assigned to the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, chaired by Tyler Paul Smith, who, in 2023, co-sponsored HB 496, Dunahoo’s first equal protection bill.
However, despite Tyler Paul Smith’s prior support for equal protection, he has still yet to schedule HB 441 for a hearing and only 3 days remain for it to be heard.
It is unclear why Tyler Paul Smith has yet to schedule HB 441 for a hearing. Could he be receiving pressure from House Speaker Jon Burns to kill the bill? Perhaps statewide Republican officeholders in Georgia do not want to have a conversation about equal protection for reasons of political expediency?
Whatever the reason, HB 441, despite receiving the support of 22% of all Georgia House Republicans, is on the verge of death. Though Georgia has heartbeat legislation in place, the lives of over 50,000 babies are still on the line. Based on conservative projections, in 2024 over 51,707 Georgia preborn babies were legally murdered as allowed by current Georgia law.[1] While 31,530 still occurred at abortion facilities in Georgia,[2] over 13,850 occurred out of state,[3] and another 6,327 Georgia mothers legally performed DIY at-home abortions using the abortion pill.[4]
In Georgia Overall Abortion Numbers are Increasing
HB 441 is a matter of life and death for preborn babies in Georgia.
You can call the offices of Chairman Tyler Paul Smith and Jon Burns to make your voice heard at the numbers below:
Tyler Paul Smith: (404) 463-7853
Jon Burns: (404) 656-5020
NOTES:
O.C.G.A. § 16-5-80(f) and O.C.G.A. § 16-12-141(h)
Isaac Maddow-Zimet, Jesse Philbin, Isabel DoCampo, et al., Monthly Abortion Provision Study, Guttmacher Institute, updated Sep. 12, 2024, https://osf.io/k4x7t/
Ibid.
Society of Family Planning. #WeCount Report: April 2022 to June 2024. October 2024. Accessed January 7, 2025. https://societyfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WeCount-Report-8-June-2024-data.pdf. The telehealth numbers in this chart are adjusted down from #WeCount totals to account for studies that indicate only 88% of mail order abortion pills are actually taken to complete an abortion. See faa.life/sma for additional sources