DeKalb County Government - File #: 2022-2004

• File #: 2022-2004
• Version: 1
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Action
• File created: 7/27/2022
• In control: Board of Commissioners
• On agenda: 12/20/2022
• Title: Commission District(s): All Commission Districts A Resolution to Protect Abortion Access and Protect Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice for DeKalb County Citizens

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/20/2022	1	Board of Commissioners	approved	Pass
12/6/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for approval upon receipt of additional information	Pass
11/17/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for deferral	Pass
11/15/2022	1	Board of Commissioners	deferred	Pass
10/25/2022	1	Board of Commissioners
10/18/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for deferral	Pass
9/27/2022	1	Board of Commissioners	deferred for 30 days	Pass
9/20/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for deferral	Pass
8/23/2022	1	Board of Commissioners	deferred for 30 days	Pass
8/16/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for deferral	Pass
8/9/2022	1	Board of Commissioners	deferred to the next meeting	Pass
8/2/2022	1	ERPS-Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee	recommended for deferral	Pass
8/2/2022	1	Committee of the Whole	Accepted to the BOC agenda and assigned

Substitute
Public Hearing: YES ? NO ? Department: Board of Commissioners - District 6

SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Commission Districts
A Resolution to Protect Abortion Access and Protect Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice for DeKalb County Citizens
Body

Information Contact: Commissioner Edward "Ted" Terry
Phone Number: 404-371-4909

PURPOSE:
This proposed Resolution affirms the DeKalb Governing Authority's commitment to protect the rights to access abortion care and support efforts to mitigate the cascading effects of not just people who want or need abortion care, but people who need miscarriage care, other medications that may incidentally impact pregnancy and the disastrous effects that can deprive millions of women, especially of color, low-income, and underserved communities, who statistically are disproportionately affected and more often criminalized.

NEED/IMPACT:
Almost half a century ago, the Roe v. Wade ruling was the basis for establishing a constitutional right to abortion. The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade legislation prompts questions about the implications for civil rights, American democracy and political polarization, and health policy. Roe v. Wade opened the door to safer, legal alternatives, which led to fewer people developing complications or dying from illegal abortions. Roe v. Wade also helped drive down complication and death rates from legal abortions by enabling more abortion research and better training. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling "makes clear no right to abortion exists under the Constitution", inadvertently permitting Georgia Law to prohibit abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The attached Resolution protects abortion access in Dekalb County and joins neighboring City of Atlanta and South Fulton who recently passed Resolutions protecting patients and providers from the criminalization of accessing...