Western Circuit district attorney Deborah Gonzales is among at least seven DA’s in Georgia who told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they will not prosecute violators of the state’s anti-abortion law.
The AJC surveyed each of the state’s 50 district attorneys found prosecutors in Dekalb, Douglas, Gwinnett, Athens Clarke, Macon-Bibb, Augusta and Savannah were among more than 80 prosecutors nationwide who signed a statement pledging to refuse to use their office’s resources to quote “criminalize reproductive health decisions.”
Gonzalez, whose office serves Clarke and Oconee counties, told the AJC that her office has limited resources, an incredible backlog of cases, a shortage of staff and is looking to where they can have a maximum impact and that a violation of an abortion bill does not meet that.
The state's so-called heartbeat bill is now being considered by a federal appeals court.
COVID cases rise
New coronavirus cases grew in Georgia for the week ending Sunday.
Cases ticked up by 13.8 percent to nearly 21,000. Georgia ranked 27th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis.
Nationwide, cases increase by 11.8 percent. Clarke County reported 235 cases in the latest week. Oconee County reported 55 with no deaths reported in either county.
In Madison County, 40 cases were reported. Across Georgia, cases fell in 38 counties.
Oconee County among top Georgia counties in vaccination rate
Oconee County is among Georgia counties with the highest percent of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Website stacker.com compiled the list of counties using data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and COVID Act Now.
Oconee County ranked sixth among the state’s 159 counties with 57.6 percent of residents fully vaccinated. Also locally, Greene County ranked 13th with 55.2 percent vaccinated. The only other county in the top 50 was Clarke County at 45th with 47 percent of residents vaccinated.
