After Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the “fetal heartbeat bill” into state law on Tuesday, effective January 2020, actress and talk show host Busy Philipps opened up to her viewers about her personal experience when she was a teenager.
“I can not sit idly by while women’s rights are stripped away,” she said on her talk show “Busy Tonight.”
This legislation, which prohibits an abortion in Georgia after a heartbeat is detected in an embryo, will be one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country and will likely be challenged in the courts.
“From what I understand, an abortion will be illegal before a woman even has the chance to realize she’s pregnant,” sophomore Salma Pont, 20, said.
Philipps continued her monologue, holding back tears as she discussed her feelings that this is not a legislative decision for men to make.
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“The statistic is one in four women will have an abortion before age 45,” she said. “That statistic sometimes surprises people and maybe you’re sitting there thinking, ‘I don’t know a woman who would have an abortion.’ Well, you know me.”
“I had an abortion when I was 15 years old and I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over this country,” she said.
The bill signing was met with public outrage on various social media platforms as people spoke out against it. Almost simultaneously, users were also preaching their support for Philipps offering words of encouragement and matching her attitude.
“I get why people feel strongly about abortion, but I also know that women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them,” Philipps said. “Nobody else.”