Keisha Lance Bottoms works to restore abortion access

11/07/2026

Demonstrators protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Georgia residents have struggled to access abortion care since the state’s six-week ban was enacted four years ago. That struggle could come to an end in the near future, however, as Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms is discussing repealing the law.

After Bottoms commented last week that lawmakers would begin having conversations about the state’s abortion restrictions, advocates told me that they’re hopeful about the future of reproductive rights in Georgia.

“We know we can meet this moment. Abortion funds and advocates have done the work of holding this region together — now it’s time for the state to match our energy without any excuses,” said Angel Willams, the co-executive director of ARC Southeast.

Not only are advocates looking to Bottoms to seize the opportunity to expand abortion access, but so are those who voted for her.

When I spoke to AUC students ahead of Election Day to see what was driving them to vote, one of the most popular reasons was reproductive rights.

Quincy Butler, a junior at Morehouse and co-chair of the AUC Young Democratic Socialists of America, told me that while he had some concerns about Bottoms as governor, her promises to get rid of the state’s abortion law was a big factor in the organization putting support behind her.

“The reason that we still favor a vote for her is protecting reproductive health. That’s a major reason that we are still endorsing a vote for her,” Butler told me.

Other newly elected officials, such as Mathewos Samson, the first Black DSA member elected to the state’s General Assembly, echoed Bottoms' promise to restore abortion access.

“I feel confident that is something we can take on this session,” Samson said of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. “I think that has definitely been one of the most egregious, harmful, horrific laws in the state.”

You can read my latest story to learn more about Bottoms' promise to reverse abortion restrictions and the future of reproductive rights in Georgia.

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ICYMI: Why I Love Mississippi

Two women wearing headphones sit at microphones inside a radio studio.

Rural issues reporter Aallyah Wright joins Capital B Atlanta’s Ann Hill Bond on Love, Atlanta. (Carlos York)

Thursday’s episode of Love, Atlanta, on WRFG Atlanta 89.3 FM, was a love letter to Mississippi from Atlanta. Our guest was Aallyah Wright, Capital B's rural issues reporter and a daughter of the Mississippi Delta, who covered her home state’s U.S. Senate race, which had us all on edge.

Capital B reported that Democrat Scott Colom defeated Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, becoming the first Black person Mississippi has sent to the Senate in more than 150 years.

At the beginning of the show we listened to Fannie Lou Hamer remembering that by 13, she was “picking 200 and 300 pounds of cotton.” That is the Mississippi most of us were taught, so I asked Aallyah what it was like to grow up in Clarksdale, Mississippi. She started with community, recounting her beautiful memories porch meals with family, and kids turning mattresses into trampolines.

That love is why this moment hit her differently. She was clear that it was historic for the nation, but historic for her as a native Mississippian covering rural America. She is still processing it, and she is grateful her community trusts her to tell the stories of their lives.

As we dove into the closeness of the voter turnout, we listened to “Until Freedom Comes,” a speech where Medgar Evers, in 1963, told Jackson residents that people would keep “demonstrating here until freedom comes.” I asked Aallyah what freedom means to Mississippians today. Her answer: The door has opened a little wider than before, but freedom there has always been layered and generational, and the push will continue as organizers and grassroots activists prepare to overturn policies that hold Mississippians back.

The numbers back that up. Mississippi has no early voting and no online registration, and a historic number of voters had to cast affidavit ballots. Still, Black voters made up roughly a third of the electorate, up from 2024.

We ended as we always do, though with a twist. Instead of asking why she loves Atlanta, I asked Aallyah, “Why do you love Mississippi?” She answered with a smile. “I love Mississippi because it is comfort. Brilliant. The fertile soil. Mississippi is crucial to our country, not just historically but right now. I love Mississippi because that's who I am.”

Love, Atlanta — out loud.

Ann

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