Georgia governor to sign 'heartbeat bill' on Tuesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is keeping his campaign promise to sign the "heartbeat" abortion bill in the face of Hollywood actors threatening a statewide boycott. (Stephen Morton/Georgia Ports Authority via AP)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is keeping his campaign promise to sign the "heartbeat" abortion bill in the face of Hollywood actors threatening a statewide boycott, the governor's office confirmed to Fox News.
Liberal activist and actress Alyssa Milano, who has been filming a Netflix comedy in Atlanta, made headlines when she marched into Kemp's office with a letter last month to speak out on the "heartbeat bill," which would prohibit abortions in the state after a heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The law would give exceptions in the case of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he won't be swayed by the anti-Trump actress' arguments against the bill.
"I can't govern because I'm worried about what someone in Hollywood thinks about me," Kemp told the newspaper. "I ran the last two years on these issues, and I got elected with the largest number of votes in the history of the state of Georgia, and I'm doing what I told people I would do."
He added: "Our business environment’s good. We cannot change our values of who we are for money. And we’re not going to do that. That’s what makes our state great."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Supporters trumpet the bill -- similar to ones passed in Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Iowa, and North Dakota -- as protecting the constitutional right of unborn children and allowing pregnant mothers to collect child support payments from fathers.
Opponents of the bill, Democrats and a few Republicans, argue most women don't know they're pregnant at six weeks, so the bill would essentially ban all abortions. Groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have threatened to sue the state once the bill is signed into law. The law would go into effect at the beginning of next year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We warned them - we will see you in court, Governor Kemp,” Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood Southeast told AJC. “And we are coming for their seats.”
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Georgia has become a major hub for the film industry because of its generous tax credits. About 50 prominent Hollywood celebrities threatened to boycott filming in the state because of the law.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The state was home to 455 productions last fiscal year, generating $9.5 billion in economic impact and $2.7 billion in direct spending, the paper reported.