Jameela Jamil is speaking out against Georgia’s anti-abortion law that Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed earlier this month.
In a series of tweets, the “Good Place” actress said the ban is “upsetting, inhumane, and blatantly demonstrative of a hatred of women, a disregard for our rights, bodies, mental health, and essentially a punishment for rape victims, forcing [them] to carry the baby of their rapist.”
Jamil revealed that she’d had an abortion when she was young, calling it “the best decision I have ever made” since she was not emotionally, psychologically and financially prepared to have a child at the time.
“So many children will end up in foster homes. So many lives ruined. So very cruel.”
Georgia’s so-called “heartbeat bill” would ban abortion as soon as a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat, which typically occurs around six weeks into pregnancy. Many women are not yet aware of their condition at that time. And several civil liberties and women’s rights organizations have announced plans to take legal action against the legislation.
Jamil explained in her tweet thread that she’s not taking a jab at foster homes and is “in awe of people who take in children in need of a family and a home.”
“But if Georgia becomes inundated with children who are unwanted or unable to be cared for, it will be hard to find great fostering for them all,” she tweeted.
Analysis by the Chronicle of Social Change points out that the opioid crisis has contributed to a growing number of young people in need of foster care in several states. Georgia is one such state, with the percentage of youth living in foster homes increasing 14 percent from 2017 to 2018.
The northern parts of Georgia are being hit especially hard by the opioid epidemic, making it harder to place kids in homes.
“Most homes want one young child,” said Tom Rawlings, director of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, according to the Chronicle of Social Change. “But, especially through the opioid crisis, we’re seeing more older, teenage kids.”