Interview With State Senator From North Georgia Who Helped Pass the “Heartbeat” Bill Within two months of New York passing its law expanding abortion-rights, Georgia passed a bill that went the opposite direction. HB 481, which significantly limits abortion rights, passed the state legislature on March 29, 2019. Georgia’s “heartbeat” bill, as it is known, prohibits abortion once a heartbeat is detected by a doctor. This typically happens around six weeks into a pregnancy. The bill is a huge victory for those of us who are fighting to protect the lives of innocent children. North Georgia State Senator Steve Gooch was one of the lawmakers who was eager to support the bill. As a supporter of the North Georgia Pregnancy Center, Senator Gooch was gracious enough to speak with the us about his experience with the passage of the bill. Senator Gooch was thrilled about the legislation. He said, “We had the opportunity to save hundreds of thousands of unborn children. So this was probably the best vote I’ve taken in the nine years that I’ve been in the Senate. I truly believe that this was a vote that will go down as one of the most important in the history of Georgia, one I’m proud to be a part of.” Georgia’s bill does have a few exceptions for rape or incest (when the woman has filed a police report) and if the mother’s life is in danger or when the fetus would be unable to live after birth. Even with these
rare exceptions, Senator Gooch was glad to see that this new law is now one of the strictest in the nation. Because of this, Senator Gooch “didn’t hesitate for a moment to vote for the bill. It truly will save the lives of unborn children. Too many people use abortion as a means of birth control, and this bill limits the use of abortion to very specific and rare instances.” Some pro-life advocates didn’t think the bill went far enough. But thankfully this new law will protect the lives of almost all unborn children in Georgia. We’re thankful for the many pro-life legislators like Senator Gooch who were brave enough to stand up for the lives of the unborn. The media spotlight on Georgia before, during, and after the vote brought voices from Hollywood who vowed to boycott Georgia because of the heartbeat bill. But Governor Kemp, Steve Gooch, and the others who passed this bill know that the lives of these babies are worth far more than money. The heartbeat bill will undoubtedly face many legal challenges, so we need to be in prayer that the Lord would enable this law to stand up through the courts and continue to save lives.
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