What happened? I sent emails to a handful of Georgia Senators regarding S.B. 123 and received a single reply. Thank you, Senator Johnson. I responded to that reply with further concerns and heard nothing else. So how did it all turn out?
On March 2, the Georgia Senate voted on SB 123. By a vote of 35 to 15, it passed. 2 Senators took a pass on voting and 4 others were excused. Maybe they had a note from their pharmacist. Interestingly enough, just before the final vote, an amendment to S.B. 123 was proposed from the floor by Miles of the 43rd, Butler of the 55th, Tate of the 38th, Seay of the 34th and Thomas of the 2nd. While I didn’t include any of these five Senators in my initial email distribution, it would appear that we all shared a similar curiosity. The floor amendment read as follows:
Amend the committee substitute (LC 33 1371S) to SB 123 by adding on page 1 line 25 after pregnancy “or induce or effect penile erections with such sexually enhancing drugs such as Viagra or other similar prescriptions.”
Of course, it was doomed. It died with more overall voter participation than SB 123 itself, 21 to 31. But still, an awesome last minute action all the same. The next time any of you see Senators Miles, Butler, Tate, Seay or Thomas, buy them a beer.
Now it goes before the Georgia House of Representatives.
Designated as HB 1445, the verbiage echoes SB 123 almost word-for-word. And just as in the final, “As Passed” version of SB 123, the phrase “emergency contraceptive” has been removed. Perhaps a few of the sponsoring Senators noticed finally the difference between Plan B (an emergency contraceptive) and RU-486 (a drug that induces abortion). Or maybe they just decided that clarification was for the weak. Why bother to actually learn about something you wish to legislate, eh?
So today, just to see what kind of discussion I might have (or to see how many more mailing lists will add me without asking), I sent an email to each of the six Georgia Representatives sponsoring HB 1445: James Mills (25th), Ron Stephens (164th), Jerry Keen (179th), Sue Burmeister (119th), Mike Coan (101st) and Bobby Reese (98th). I don’t mind admitting that I assembled this new email from the bones of the emails sent last month about SB 123. What’s new is an astute observation borrowed from Amber. Between my concerns about morals and recourse is this:
Next, consider your own understanding of this bill’s subject matter, as well as the understanding of your colleagues.
Just what medical resources are being limited or covered by H.B. 1445? I would imagine that your intent is to place a limit on the so-called “Morning After Pill” (or Plan B) and another prescription called RU-486. But do you know how either of these medical resources work? One is an emergency contraceptive that actually prevents pregnancy, while the other induces abortion. When the Senate version of this bill was introduced by Georgia Senator Eric Johnson, he acknowledged that he lacked understanding on how either medicine actually worked (“Abortion foes target use of pill” 02/04/05, Atlanta Journal Constitution). The House version lacks the “emergency contraceptive” language from the Senate version, but the very real risk of confusion remains.
HB 1445 is up for voting next week. Starting Monday, they’ll start at the top of a very long list (HB 18 – something about seatbelts) and work their way through to the end. They might get to 1445 before 5pm, but I’m thinking it will be Tuesday or Wednesday. If this matters to you, please let your respective Representative know.
If I get a reply, promising or not, I’ll be sure to share.
