Perdue Vows to Make Georgia’s Abortion Restrictions Even Harsher

(Bloomberg) -- It took less than a day for the leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade to surface in Georgia's bitter Republican primary race for governor.

Former U.S. Senator David Perdue, who is challenging incumbent Brian Kemp with the backing of Donald Trump, told a rally Tuesday he would push to make Georgia's abortion limits even stronger if the draft opinion stands, upstaging the signature anti-abortion law Kemp championed and signed in 2019.

“If I were governor when that ruling comes down, I would call the General Assembly back in and ask them to eliminate all abortion in the state of Georgia,” Perdue, 72, said at the rally in Rutledge, where he was speaking against the state's $1.5 billion incentive package for the electric truck maker Rivian, according to video from WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Georgia's anti-abortion law was considered the harshest in the U.S. when Kemp signed it in 2019, earning strong support from evangelical voters. The law forbids abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, often before a woman knows she's pregnant.

A federal judge ruled in 2020 that the law was unconstitutional because it violated the precedent set by Roe v. Wade in 1973, which guaranteed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. The state is appealing that ruling, with a decision on hold because of the pending Supreme Court case.

“Georgia is a state that values life at all stages,” Kemp spokesman Cody Hall said in an email Tuesday. “Governor Kemp led the fight to pass the strongest pro-life bill in the country and championed the law throughout a lengthy legal process.“

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll taken in January showed 68% of Georgia voters wanted Roe v. Wade to remain in place. That included 73% of women, 43% of Republicans and 77% of Independents.

Kemp, 58, is leading Perdue by double-digits in polls ahead of the May 24 primary. Early voting began on Monday with record turnout.

The GOP winner will face Democratic voting-rights activist Stacey Abrams in November. Abrams, in a Twitter post on Tuesday, said she was appalled by the draft leak and opinion.