editorials

That Stacey Abrams is way out of step with the sentiments of Georgia’s conservative population is without question; but perhaps the most controversial of the views espoused by this liberal contender for Georgia’s gubernatorial seat relate to her stance on abortion.

In a television appearance on September 14, Abrams, voiced her support for abortion being carried out all the way up “until the time of birth” in certain circumstances. Abrams said abortion is “a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor, that viability is the metric, and that if a woman’s health or life is in danger, then viability extends until the time of birth.” The issue of abortion came up again on September 20 as Abrams participated in a panel discussion in Atlanta. “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks,” Abrams said about the point in a pregnancy at which a fetal heartbeat can be detected in the womb. She further commented, “It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body away from her.”

Abrams’ comments targeted a 2019 law signed by her Republican rival, Gov. Brian Kemp, that bans most abortions when early cardiac activity is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. After initially being blocked, the law went into effect earlier this year following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court’s decision energized Democrats across the country and apparently gave Abrams a convenient topic on which to center her campaign as Election Day approaches: protecting abortion rights in Georgia. “It’s going to be front and center in the conversation,” Abrams told CNN in an interview.

Ironically, Abrams is making a political football out of an issue that she contends should not be decided by politicians. “I believe that abortion is a medical decision, not a political decision,” Abrams was quoted as saying in an online article by Julia Johnson in The Washington Examiner.

Abrams is in a grudge match against Kemp who defeated her in the 2018 gubernatorial election which she refused to concede, claiming voter suppression that could not be proven. Now, in the 2022 gubernatorial contest, she is behind in the polls. Apparently, she is hoping the issue of abortion will swing things in her favor in a state President Joe Biden narrowly carried in 2020, and that has long voted Republican. Add to that Kemp’s outstanding track record with the state’s economy. Georgia was just named the top state in which to do business for the ninth year in a row.

Abrams, who, believe it or not, was once an antiabortion, advocate appears to have had a change of heart as she has pursued a political career. Governor Kemp has never wavered in his position on abortion; he has been consistently prolife.

So, does Abrams really care about women’s rights, as she has said, or is it just about politics — and beating Kemp?