Perdue and Kemp Stand Ready to Push Extreme Abortion Ban in Georgia if Roe v. Wade is Overturned

Amid reports that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, GOP gubernatorial candidates Brian Kemp and David Perdue both stand ready to continue their extreme anti-choice records and ban abortion in Georgia if given the legal runway. Against the will of more than two-thirds of Georgians who support the half-century precedent set in Roe v. Wade, both David Perdue and Brian Kemp have used their elected positions and their campaigns to relentlessly attack womens’ reproductive freedom — and would double down on their anti-choice agenda if elected Georgia’s next governor.

Earlier today David Perdue announced he would call for a special legislative session if he were governor to push for a total ban on abortion in Georgia. As a U.S. Senator, Perdue introduced and voted in favor of abortion restrictions time and again, and has “promised to pursue more restrictions” on abortion if elected governor. 

As governor, Brian Kemp signed what he bragged was “the toughest abortion bill in the country” into law in 2019, which would ban abortion before many women even know they’re pregnant. The 2019 abortion ban is currently held up in court, and could be enacted if Roe v. Wade is overturned. 

Read more about Kemp and Perdue’s attacks on abortion:

Brian Kemp has been ruthless in rolling back reproductive rights as governor, bragging about signing “the toughest abortion bill in the country” in 2019 and is prepared to push through more restrictions should Roe v. Wade be overturned:

• Kemp bragged about signing the “toughest abortion bill in the country” in 2019, which criminalizes abortion at a point in pregnancy where many women don’t even realize they’re pregnant – it’s poised to go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

• As noted by the AJC: Overturning Roe would pave the way for an anti-abortion measure signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 to take effect. The state’s law, blocked by a federal appeals court, would ban abortions after a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity – typically about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.

• Kemp publicly rooted for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in the case at hand, tweeting that he joins “thousands of pro-life conservatives across the country…in prayer” that the Mississippi challenge to abortion rights succeeds. 

• In February, Kemp used this very issue to attack Perdue, releasing a new ad in which he doubles down on his belief that women shouldn’t be able to access safe and legal abortions, and criticizes Perdue for not signing a brief in 2020 in support of overturning Roe v. Wade.

• Kemp has also spoken out in favor of a Texas anti-abortion law which would essentially put bounties on the heads of people seeking or providing abortion care – saying he “appreciate[d]” the Texas law, which makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

David Perdue relentlessly attacked reproductive rights as a U.S. Senator and has indicated he would continue to do so as governor, calling for a special session today to enact a total ban on abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned:

• Earlier today Perdue announced he would call for a special legislative session to push for a total ban on abortion in Georgia if he were governor.

• Perdue cheered the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned and promised even more restrictions on abortion in 2023 if he is elected.

• Perdue indicated support for Kemp’s anti-abortion policies in 2019 and sponsored abortion restrictions in the Senate, including one that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

• As a Senator, Perdue introduced anti-abortion legislation such as the “Abortion is Not Health Care Act” to cut off funding for crucial reproductive health care providers, including Planned Parenthood.

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