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This article is a good illustration of how, unfortunately, some reproductive rights advocates haven't yet adapted to the new wave of abortion bans, which are often more punitive than their pre-Roe predecessors. washingtonpost.com/health/2019/05…
This talking point was true of older abortion restrictions. But the new Georgia law, HB 481, is a different beast. It intentionally broadens the definition of an illegal abortion to encompass something that a woman does to herself. It's designed to criminalize self-termination. 
Indeed, HB 481 includes an affirmative defense *for women who are prosecuted for undergoing abortions.* This obviously would not be necessary if women could not be prosecuted for undergoing abortions! slate.com/news-and-polit…
Moreover, the authors of this article fail to understand that HB 481 alters *the entire Georgia legal regime* with regard to fetuses. They have been granted full legal personhood—every statute that applies to humans now applies to fetuses.
And this is not just speculation. It's the opinion of Georgia’s Office of Legislative Counsel.
To understand the full impact of HB 481, you have to recognize that every Georgia statute dealing with "persons" now encompasses fetuses, too.
To understand the full impact of HB 481, you have to recognize that every Georgia statute dealing with "persons" now encompasses fetuses, too.
So these blinkered takes on HB 481 that fail to recognize (1) the expanded definition of illegal abortion to include self-termination, and (2) the sweeping consequences of granting legal personhood to fetuses—they don't grasp how the bill works, which renders them misleading.
For a more sophisticated and realistic legal analysis of HB 481, read Georgia attorney @ASFleischman: law.com/dailyreportonl…
Or Georgia Sen. Jen Jordan, who's also a lawyer: slate.com/news-and-polit…
Or Georgia Sen. Jen Jordan, who's also a lawyer: slate.com/news-and-polit…
@ASFleischman Don't trust any analysis—pushed by the left or the right—that denies the consequences of granting legal personhood to fetuses and criminalizing self-termination. Journalists should not defer to advocates on either side who are eager to downplay the ramifications of this bill.
