Over the last week and a half, I’ve been advocating on for the Georgia heartbeat bill, called the LIFE Act – HB 481, at the Georgia State Capitol. I’m from Oregon, but as I visited my grandparents in the Atlanta area, it only made sense to take the opportunity to help Georgia’s most vulnerable, and I jumped right in! After all, three of my four children fall into the category most people are fearful to discuss, the so-called “hard cases”: rape, diagnosis of life of the mother, and “incompatible with life.”
Many will diminish these lives by saying, “they’re only 1%,” but in the U.S., there are 32,100+ rape-related cases each year, with about 25,000 to 27,000 born each year. My mind was blown when I heard those numbers, but it helped me in many ways not to feel so alone, while also grieving that so many other women have suffered this horrific experience.
I went early in the morning to the Georgia State Capitol, where I was screened by a Capitol State Police officer who asked me, ”So, what’s your business here today, ma’am?” I smiled and said,” I am here to save some babies!” He shared a great smile back and told me, “I will be praying for y’all!”
Suzanne and Rachel Guy were there smiling the brightest smiles and I immediately felt a wave of love and adoration for these two women whom I came to know through our organization called, Save The 1, with a global network of over 600 conceived in rape or women or became pregnant by rape. We also have many women, children, and families who come to us with the other classic “hard cases.” We unite and share our lives with the world so people can see us for who we are — real life people with precious children who are just as significant and valuable as anyone else. To finally meet others in person is just amazing!
I also got to meet Georgia Life Alliance’s new Executive Director, Joshua Edmonds, in person. This is the day I got a crash course in politics. Our mission was simple: spread awareness about the exceptions related to abortion, and support the bill without exceptions. We were all so happy to see that it was introduced with protection for those like my sweet children and my dear friend Rachel. We wanted others to see that this isn’t just a faceless statistic to be pushed aside. We are real and not just a number.
We spent the entire day wondering if we would testify before the House committee on behalf of this bill brought to Georgia by Rep. Ed Setzler. The day was long, but wonderful. I met so many people who supported no exceptions, even a Democrat! I should say I don’t claim a specific party, but I vote based upon which candidates most align with my core beliefs. Ed seemed to fit this description as I learned more about him and this bill. Nothing is worse than when a politician is basically saying your innocent baby had no real value or is less than human. The day came to an end without a hearing, so I knew I’d be back the next day, and the next.
The date was finally set for the committee hearing, and I was there. After a quick prayer, I was ready to walk in and do what I felt I was meant to do — speak out for the unborn, all of them!
I once had believed it was a woman’s right to choose. However, when I conceived my first child from rape, her humanity superseded choice. Her life was and is precious, and from conception, she deserved her right to life! I realized this when my rapist came to beat her out of me. As I lay on the floor losing consciousness, I felt my baby’s first kick and it was strong. There, I prayed for the first time in my life: ”God, if you are real, please save me and my baby.” Then I slipped off into the darkness. When I awoke, he was gone. I was groggy and dizzy trying to figure out what had occurred. Then, that strong kick slammed full force into my heart and mind! There was a living, growing, real life baby in my belly. This wasn’t the blob I was trying to convince myself was in there. This was not a lifeless growth just floating around hanging out in my uterus. She was a human being! As much as I had wanted the “choice” to escape this seemingly unfair life event, I KNEW deep in my core that her life was in my hands. I know that I would never kill a person on the street who was a huge inconvenience to me. I wouldn’t pay for a hit on a person because they were not in my plans. It just didn’t make sense to kill a baby who did nothing wrong.
So, therefore, I was at the Capitol to share her story and the stories of her two younger brothers. All three of these little ones I was advised to abort by different doctors in different places. The new norm for any kind of difficulty has become abortion. I didn’t have someone there saying, “You can do this! You are strong and capable!” I didn’t have familial support or financial resources. In fact, with my princess, I had just recently turned 19. This was what I wanted to share in this hearing.
As I sat down, the room became packed. All was on track to celebrate an historic victory. But then we learned the rape exception had been added just minutes before. It may be hard for others to understand, but I literally saw a vision of my daughter being ripped apart by them. My stomach was sick. My daughter is precious, sweet, empathic, and these legislators were saying she deserved to die, that she’s less of a person, that her heartbeat doesn’t matter, that she wasn’t worthy of protection.
One by one people from both sides shared their testimonies either for or against HB 481. I saw many people passionately fighting for their beliefs. We are so blessed to live in a country where we can advocate for what we feel is right. I shared my story as quickly as I could and surprisingly there were comments by legislators when I was done. The final comment was a female legislator stating she was glad that I had my “choice” and that many women, according to her, don’t have the ability to cope as I did. She totally missed the point I was sharing, which is the humanity of my children.
The true human rights violation is pretending these aren’t people deserving of protection. The real injustice was her essentially saying that Georgia women aren’t strong enough or skilled to handle these types of things, and she offered no other solution for them other than killing their children. Abortion is supposedly the easy answer. I felt such sadness for anyone who would believe such a thing. Pro-life with no exceptions was the message and my testimony was not about the choices I made. Choice is a blatant lie. My daughter was and is a living person. Nothing can change that FACT.
Now, this was the moment we had been waiting for. Will they fix the bill with an amendment to remove the rape exception? I am not a super politically savvy person, so I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that changes could be added only moments before the hearing. I was learning fast how both sides work and all I wanted was to protect innocent lives. The tension in the room was high. The tears and sweat were there. It was hot, stressful, and I was saying prayers that everyone can feel peace until these legislators vote on this now flawed bill. Again, “please God protect them, protect them all. I will do anything you need. I will share the truth, I will share my life openly, I know all of the hurt and trials I have endured made me who I am today. I know that these babies are blessings. Please let them see. Let them all see that each person has value. They matter too. Don’t let them forget when they leave this room those who are forgotten. Please help the one percent. The 32,100 or more! Please, Father, let me know what to do, I will do it.”
As I was in this prayer in my own mind, I suddenly heard that the committee was proposing an amendment, but it wasn’t to remove the rape exception. Instead, to my utter shock and dismay, it was to add a medically futile exception. My heart sank as I looked over to my friend, Suzanne Guy, who had tears streaming down her face, and she was outraged. Her daughter, Rachel — who had just testified, was considered medically futile and urged by three doctors to be aborted. It was a direct slap in the face to both of us because these legislators were targeting people like her and my children.
I watched in shock as one by one, hand after hand was raised to add these exceptions, and I cried. I was able to hold my composure during my testimony, but this was the moment I bawled like a baby. I saw my son, Gideon, smiling at me just that morning. I had flashbacks of the first 18 months of his life — most of which were spent in the hospital. I remembered the countless hours up with him keeping him alive. I saw my miracle boy who was guaranteed to die, and these legislators were solidifying it.
I observed the faces of these representatives, and my heart was hurting beyond anything I’ve ever felt. It was a mix of betrayal, disappointment, sadness, frustration, and perhaps a few more things I couldn’t explain. The tears wouldn’t stop coming. I didn’t understand how these people could hear our stories and commit this atrocity. We shared our lives and our hearts! I wanted to scream, “Why won’t you protect children like ours?!” My mind was overwhelmed. I just can’t explain the level of pain I felt for these babies whose humanity was being denied — the sweet Alexandrias, the silly Tristans, the miraculous Gideons, the compassionate Rachels.
When I stopped crying, I knew this fight wasn’t over and He still had plans for Georgia. He was teaching us in this moment. I left the building feeling hope. I knew we could still have the opportunity to save the 1%’ers, as both Joshua Edmonds and Rep. Ed Setzler had assured me that they could get the exceptions removed in the Senate. However, the bill is being pushed through quickly, and with a hearing that was set for Thursday, March 12th, at 3 pm, without the amendments to the bill in the Senate. I hoped and prayed we can still fight for them, but then I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to testify, when I had remained in Georgia with my family for an extra week to be able to be there. The bill got pushed through again with exceptions, and I’m still being told there will be a chance to remove the exceptions from HB 481. I’m urging everyone to contact every Georgia Senator and especially the Governor’s office and take a stand against these discriminatory and dehumanizing provisions.
You might think you could never carry a child from rape, or maybe you think you wouldn’t be able to have a baby given a poor or fatal prognosis. I am assuring you that you are strong enough. Humans are capable of great things. We are made to endure. We all have had it hard at some point. Everyone has their own story and has felt pain of some kind. I know that the women and future women of Georgia deserve the chance to show how strong they really are! They DO have the skills to go through this. They CAN beat the odds.
We must fight for our most vulnerable – no exceptions. They’re all worthy. There is no difference in a baby who was conceived in rape or a baby conceived in a loving marriage. Do not condemn them to death for another person’s actions. The Supreme Court does not allow the death penalty for rapists and child molesters. I plead with you, do not sentence these infants to a brutal and torturous demise in the name of “women’s rights” or misapplied compassion for rape victims. Please do not be fooled by this lie! We can do better than this. Women deserve to be uplifted and strengthened. Remove the stigma placed on these people groups. All lives matter from conception to natural death!
BIO: Heather Hobbs is a wife, mother of 4 and Save The 1 Pro-Life Speaker and blogger from Oregon.
