The Heartless Heartbeat Bill
In early May of 2019, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a piece of anti-abortion legislation known as the “Heartbeat” bill. This bill will effectively ban abortions after six weeks–the earliest that a fetal heartbeat can be detected in the womb–except situations where the mother’s health is at risk. Unless overturned in the supreme court, the LIFE (Living Infants Fairness and Equality) Act or HB481 will go into effect in January of 2020. Here are the ways that this law can and will affect life for Georgians.
Contraceptive Use
While contraceptive use among young couples is the norm (and so it should be–STDs are NOT cool!), the anti-abortion bill is motivating women to be more thorough with their oral birth control or to start taking it if they don’t already. Several women that Iconic Youth interviewed said that they are not always good at remembering to take their birth control consistently, but that with the new legislation they would have to be hyper-vigilant when it comes to remembering to take their meds. One young woman said, “I usually just use condoms when I have sex, but I’m getting on the pill now because of this anti-abortion law. Better safe than sorry.”
In some cases, women are even switching to more reliable, long-term contraceptives that don’t require the consumption of a daily pill. These contraceptives include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subcutaneous, hormonal implants. IUDs typically provide effective contraception for five to ten years, and subcutaneous implants are potent for up to three years.
On top of not having to remember to take a pill every day, the long-term effectiveness of these contraceptives is appealing to women because of the uncertainty that birth control will be accessible in the future. Another young woman making the switch from oral birth control to an IUD voicing her concern commented, “[Georgia legislators] are already trying to control women’s bodies with this heartbeat bill. So what’s to stop them from writing up a law that takes away our birth control? I’m getting an IUD put in so that I don’t have to worry about that for at least the next five years.”
Sexual Partners
With that fact in mind, many people are becoming more selective about their sexual relationships–even the casual ones. After all, two people who don’t know each other very well might not want to bring a child into this world together. When talking about his sex life, one young man remarked, “I’m not trying to have a girlfriend at this point in my life, but I like sex just as much as the next guy. With this [ anti-abortion bill] being passed though, I can’t have sex with just any hottie: I have to think about what comes after–what happens if she gets pregnant? Are we on the same page? It’s just heavy stuff.”
Even people in monogamous relationships are reevaluating their sex lives. One couple shared the opinion that this legislation is less about preserving life and more about restricting sex. The young lady said, “Neither of us wants kids right now, that’s why I have an IUD. But even if everyone is taking the right preventative steps, babies can still be born. It makes having sex kind of a scary thing when it used to be a way to connect with my boyfriend.” Her boyfriend agreed by saying, “We talked about birth control a long time ago and what we would do if God forbid she ever did get pregnant, and we were on the same page with what we would both want. This law is taking away our choice and making sex way less fun, to be honest.”
Financial Ruin
The heartbeat bill is not just affecting peoples’ sex lives–it’s also having consequences on Georiga’s economy. Major film and TV producers such as David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire and The Deuce, along with Colorforce producer Nina Jacobson and Killer Films’ Christine Vachon have said that they will boycott, or at the very least rethink using Georgia as a filming site. Many celebrities including Jessica Chastain, Alyssa Milano, Brie Larson, Laverne Cox, Amy Schumer, Patricia Arquette, and almost one hundred others are boycotting productions filmed in Georgia.
This boycott threatens to take away a significant number of job opportunities for Georgians as well as the exposure that the state receives in said cameos, which benefit tourism. So while its supporters are touting HB481 as LIFE, this bill drastically damages the real lives of actual, existing, living Georgians–Georgians who want control over their bodies, their sex lives, and their relationships. The overall effects of the heartbeat bill extend far beyond individual peoples’ rights to their bodies and into our state’s economy as well. It hardly seems “Fair and Equal” if you ask me.
