After Refusing to Rule Out Further Abortion Restrictions, Kemp Campaigns with Pence— Backer of National Abortion Ban

After refusing to rule out further restrictions on access to abortion during Sunday’s gubernatorial debate, Gov. Brian Kemp is campaigning today with Mike Pence, a strong proponent of a nationwide ban on abortion, who said last month that one of the first things Republicans would do if they regain control of Congress is work to ban abortion in every state.

Kemp’s embrace of Pence – who has been leading the Republican attack on reproductive freedom for his entire political career – is a continuation of the governor’s pattern of standing with anti-choice extremists on the campaign trail.

Today’s campaign events come after Kemp refused to answer during the final gubernatorial debate when when asked if he would sign legislation to further restrict abortion access if re-elected. Kemp’s non-answer of “we’ll look at those when the time comes” keeps the door open for additional restrictions on access to abortion in Georgia. 

“Throughout this campaign, Brian Kemp has shown us who he is — he’s consistently stood with anti-choice extremists like Mike Pence who want a complete ban on abortion, and brags about his law that outlaws abortion before most women even know they’re pregnant. In the final days of early voting and just ahead of Election Day, Georgians are being reminded that Kemp believes abortion should be illegal with no exceptions for victims of rape and incest — and that he refuses to tell us if he would sign further restrictions on access to abortion into law if re-elected,” asserted Max Flugrath, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

More on Kemp’s abortion ban and refusal to rule out harsher restrictions:

Jailing Doctors: During the debate, Kemp also confirmed doctors would face prosecution under his abortion ban. A recent report from HuffPost dug into how Kemp’s abortion ban could also open pregnant women up to prosecution – even those who had a natural miscarriage. Because abortion is “medically indistinguishable” from a miscarriage, Kemp’s restrictive law “empowers officials to scrutinize, surveil and criminalize not only women seeking abortion care, but also women with wanted pregnancies.”

Further Restrictions: Kemp has already signed an extreme six-week ban on abortion, which makes it illegal before many women even know they’re pregnant, and has repeatedly stated his staunch opposition to any exceptions for rape or incest in an abortion ban.

The governor has also refused to “specifically respond to how medical emergencies would be deciphered” under his ban on abortion and as the HuffPost report notes, Kemp has said “little to nothing” about the law, particularly on its enforcement, “despite its central place in his 2019 campaign.”

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