Georgia governor dismisses Hollywood threats on eve of pro-life 'heartbeat' bill signing

As Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp prepares to sign a pro-life "heartbeat" abortion bill into law Tuesday, he reminded the Hollywood actors who oppose and threaten the state that he's not worried about what they think, according to The Daily Wire.

The bill, House Bill 481, would require physicians to look for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion, and would legally prohibit the abortion if a heartbeat is detected, establishing personhood and all the rights thereof at the detection of a pulse.

Hollywood actors have threatened Georgia legislators with a boycott if the bill becomes law, but Kemp doesn't care. Here's what he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"I can't govern because I'm worried about what someone in Hollywood thinks about me. I ran the last two years on these issues, and I got elected with the largest number of votes in the history of the state of Georgia, and I'm doing what I told people I would do … Our business environment's good. We cannot change our values of who we are for money. And we're not going to do that. That's what makes our state great."

The entertainment industry brings billions of dollars to Georgia every year.

Pro-abortion advocates such as Planned Parenthood plan to issue legal challenges to the law, arguing that it is wrong to ban abortion so early since many women don't even know they're pregnant by the time the fetus has a heartbeat.

"We want to stay in Georgia. We want to continue to support the wonderful people, businesses and communities we have come to love in the Peach State," read the letter from 50 Hollywood celebrities to Georgia lawmakers. "But we will not do so silently, and we will do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if H.B. 481 becomes law. You have a choice, gentlemen. We pray you make the right one."

UPDATE:

Governor Kemp signed the heartbeat bill into law in Atlanta on Tuesday.

"Georgia is a state that values life," Kemp said at the signing ceremony. "We protect the innocent. We champion the vulnerable. We stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves."

"Pro-abortion Hollywood elites clearly underestimated the people of Georgia in thinking they could be bullied," said pro-life Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser in a press release. "We hope their courage will inspire even more states to stand up to the abortion lobby."