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 abortion care by making abortion law violations the lowest possible priority. The DeKalb County District Attorney, Sherry Boston, has also advised that at this moment she will not seek prosecutions against women or medical providers seeking to assist in their reproductive healthcare decisions and has asked that the DeKalb County law enforcement community stand with her in this decision to not criminalize abortion and support the effort to continue to maintain public trust and public safety for all Dekalb citizens.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No known financial impact at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Adopt the attached Resolution confirming our solidarity to support the advancement and protect reproductive health, rights, and justice in DeKalb County and the State of Georgia.