ICYMI: Chris Carr Admits He and GOP Want to Jail Health Care Providers

“Carr says the enforcement language in the… law explicitly targets doctors”

In case you missed it, Chris Carr just admitted to 11Alive what he and Georgia Republicans have been trying to keep under the radar: the GOP is going after doctors under the new six-week abortion ban, targeting doctors with prosecution and possibly even jail time for providing life-saving care. 

When asked if Georgia’s abortion ban leaves Georgians vulnerable to prosecution and imprisonment, Carr confirmed that the law’s enforcement “explicitly targets doctors.” Carr also misled viewers about the impact on pregnant women, who could be subject to invasive investigations under Republicans’ abortion ban.

Carr’s rare public emphasis on the Georgia GOP’s intention to jail doctors under their new abortion ban comes as doctors across the state are sounding the alarm on how the law will put health care providers in jeopardy. Doctors have warned that the law will also deter medical students and doctors from coming to Georgia to practice medicine, exacerbating our state’s provider shortage.

Read more about what Georgia providers are warning:

• “Our ER physicians are going to be really concerned, often they’re the first line of defense, especially in rural Georgia, where they usually are the ones managing and this law puts them at risk as well. I think there’s going to be a lot of concern and desire to not treat because of fear of prosecution,” said Dr. Megan Cohen, MD, MPH, OB/GYN.
• “There’s just this kind of cloud of anxiety hanging over everyone’s head until we figure out what our approach is going to be. I think there’s also a lot of tension building within the medical community about who’s going to be the first one to be prosecuted and what’s gonna happen,” said Dr. Kelly Coffman, MD, MPH Reproductive and Forensic Psychiatrist and candidate for Georgia State House.
• “Governor Kemp’s extreme abortion ban is going to hurt patients, and it’s going to hurt health care providers, and it’s going to hurt hospitals,” said State Senator Dr. Michelle Au, MD, MPH. “At what point would you consider a case emergency enough to skirt prosecution, criminal liability, civil liability, loss of your medical license you’ve worked so hard for under this law?”

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