ATLANTA -- In Georgia, there’s been a strong reaction to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. Anti-abortion activists see the Court tipping their way after years of activism; pro-choice activists fear the other side has won a crucial victory.
Atlanta is a rare spot in the southeast – a city where women can actually find abortion services in a state where the prevailing politics is anti-abortion.
The last 24 hours have been among the darkest in memory for longtime pro-choice activist Sheri Mann Stewart.
"I’m just really afraid of what it could do to the rights we’ve already gained," Stewart said. "And I think of all the people it could hurt, depending on how this shift will – the differences that it will make."
The rally Mann attended outside the Buckhead office of US Sen. David Perdue (R-Georgia) was raucous and upbeat. But the politics of abortion appear to be changing with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh – likely tipping the Supreme Court’s balance away from abortion rights.
"We’ve seen them laying the groundwork for that for a long time," said Laura Simmon, a pro-choice activist speaking of pro-life advocates. "This is what they’ve been working for. This is their victory."
"Well, it's been pretty exciting," said Virginia Galloway of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Galloway says she has spent thirty years working to make abortion illegal. She's been part of chilly rallies every January at Georgia’s Capitol building, calling for pro-life state laws and the overturn of Roe versus Wade.
The Kavanaugh nomination represents a potential turning point. "It feels a little more hopeful," Galloway smiled, admitting to a bit of understatement.
Pro-life activists have persuaded Georgia legislators to require counseling for abortion patients and a 24 hour waiting period. Both sides see their influence potentially expanding.
"It’s going to be very daunting. There is one scenario where the states are going to have all the power to determine our reproductive options," Simmons said. "And in Georgia, right now, that’s a very scary scenario."
Georgia’s Republican U.S. senators Perdue and Johnny Isakson were full of praise for President Trump’s nomination. Democrats know they are very likely outnumbered.
