The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution that would suspend all travel and contracts with Georgia and Alabama in light of those states’ recent anti-abortion laws.
The move comes as states throughout the country are passing stricter abortion laws as part of a larger effort to eventually overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court court decision that protects a woman’s right to chose whether to have an abortion.
Alabama sparked national outcry this year when the state passed the most restrictive law in the country, banning the procedure in all cases except when the mother’s life is at risk. In Georgia, a law set to go into effect in 2020 would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks.
Long Beach would be the second California municipality to officially denounce the laws. In May, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to impose a one-year restriction on travel to Alabama.
The Long Beach motion, authored by 2nd District Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce and supported by councilmembers Suzie Price, Al Austin and Rex Richardson, would direct the city attorney to prepare a resolution banning official travel to Georgia and Alabama any other state that adopts similar legislation until the laws are “revoked, amended or struck down by the courts.”
The council motion said the laws in Georgia and Alabama are “egregious attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that recognizes a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. It is expected that each state that passes new anti-abortion measures are ready to defend them in federal court in an attempt to overturn women’s constitutional rights.”
The motion directs staff to send signed copies of the city’s new resolution to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials.
The city would also review any future contracts with Georgia-based businesses to see if the business can be conducted elsewhere. It’s not immediately clear whether the city has any business connected to those states.
In Georgia, a popular venue for film and television productions, three production companies have pulled out of the state, while more than 50 actors have signed a letter to legislators saying they will refuse to work there.
On Tuesday at 4 p.m outside of City Hall, pro-choice groups including the Long Beach Birthworkers of Color, Long Beach Breastfeeds, Pacific Shore NOW, Hollywood NOW and the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project will hold a rally against the new anti-abortion laws.