DeKalb County is the latest metro Atlanta municipality to formally express support for access to abortion and other reproductive health care.
The resolution adopted by DeKalb on Tuesday was first presented by Commissioner Ted Terry over the summer, shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively overturned Roe v. Wade and paved the way for Georgia’s controversial ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy to go into effect.
Terry’s resolution urges local authorities to make investigating abortion and other reproductive health care choices “the lowest possible priority.” (DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has already said she wouldn’t pursue prosecution of abortion cases.)
It also asks the county administration to “add verbiage to the county employee benefits system that includes access to vital reproductive healthcare resources.”
“In DeKalb County, we want to protect the right to choose and access vital reproductive healthcare services,” Terry said. “This is not a decision that a politician should make. It’s a personal decision between the one carrying the child, family and their health care provider.”
He added that residents “are asking us to address violent crime,” not reproductive choices.
The resolution passed by a 6-0 vote, adding DeKalb to a list of local municipalities adopting similar measures. Those include Atlanta, Athens-Clarke County, Pine Lake, South Fulton and Stonecrest.
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