Abortion Bill Passes Senate on Crossover Day

By Rose Scott

Atlanta, GA – This Crossover day, a controversial bill has passed the Senate.

The bill banning abortions based on race of the mother or baby is headed for another showdown among supporters and opponents.

WABE's Rose Scott reports:

Sponsors of SB 529 say they are protecting all of Georgia's women and children regardless of race.

The Georgia Senate passed the Ban on Coercive Abortions Acts which makes it a crime to abort a baby because of gender or race.

State Senator Chip Pearson says no one is going to be coerced into having an abortion based on race or gender.

But Loretta Ross with the Atlanta based group Sister Song says state lawmakers behind the bill are targeting minority women.

Ross says lawmakers are trying to act like its isn't but there's no going a presumption when a white woman comes for abortion that she's carrying a black fetus.

Ross says she and opponents of the bill are prepared to dispute the legality of the legislation.

Meanwhile Senator Pearson believes the bill is constitutional.