Georgia Right to Life names new leader

A top anti-abortion group has a new leader as longtime Georgia Right to Life President Dan Becker prepares to exit.

GRTL announced Thursday that veteran anti-abortion advocate Ricardo Davis will take over as president Nov. 10. Becker, who has been president since 2007, will move to Personhood Alliance, a separate organization founded in 2014.

Davis owns a health care information systems consulting firm and was a campaign consultant to Paul Broun, the former Republican congressman from Athens.

The change in leadership comes after Georgia Right to Life was kicked out of the National Right to Life organization over GRTL's objection to allowing legal abortions for women who have been raped or were victims of incest.

The national group named Georgia Life Alliance as its Georgia affiliate in March 2014. The Georgia Life Alliance was created in 2014 specifically to challenge Georgia Right to Life.

Becker has been criticized by Republicans both for his opposition to exceptions and his methods. He publicly picked a fight with state House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and called former Secretary of State Karen Handel "barren" during Handel's bid for the GOP nomination for governor in 2010.

About the Author

Aaron Gould Sheinin

New Georgia Project shuts down, ending a decade of political influence in state

Founded in 2013, the organization was credited with registering tens of thousands of left-leaning voters who helped turn Georgia into a political battleground.

Georgia has $14.6 billion in reserves. What to do with it?

State lawmakers could reduce taxes or try to cover program expenses passed down from federal cuts.

State agencies seek more than $1 billion in new spending

State agencies have asked for more than $1 billion in new funding next year amid uncertainty over the toll federal spending cuts will take on Georgia’s budget.

The Latest