ATLANTA – Georgia can give state money to “pregnancy resource centers” that offer medical and other services to pregnant women while discouraging them from getting abortions, under legislation signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal.
The measure’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Renee Unterman of Buford, described her bill as a “positive” response to videos released this summer by abortion opponents showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing procedures for obtaining tissue from aborted fetuses for research.
A Texas grand jury later cleared the organization of wrongdoing.
Deal signed the bill in a private ceremony and didn’t issue a public statement.
Georgia now joins at least 10 other states that specifically dedicate funding to anti-abortion efforts, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports legal access to abortion. Elizabeth Nash, a policy analyst at the organization, said the practice began in some states decades ago.