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Georgia approves abortion ban if foetus has heartbeat Georgia approves abortion ban if foetus has heartbeat
(about 2 hours later)
The US state of Georgia has approved legislation outlawing abortions after a foetal heartbeat can be detected. If signed by the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, who campaigned in favour of tougher laws, it would become among the strictest abortion bans in the US. Amid growing controversy, the Republican governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, seems likely to sign a “heartbeat” abortion ban he supported and helped push through.
“Georgia values life,” Kemp said in a statement on Friday. “The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state.”
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The measure was approved by just one vote more than the majority needed to pass out of the House. The Georgia house of representatives gave final approval on Friday to legislation outlawing abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, sending the bill to Kemp. If enacted, it would be among the strictest abortion bans in the US.
Following the vote, a tense situation erupted when law enforcement confronted several Democratic lawmakers and protesters speaking against the bill in the halls of the Capitol, threatening to arrest people if a crowd did not disperse and stop chanting “shame”. Signing the toughest abortion law in the country was a campaign pledge of Kemp’s during his run for governor last year.
Georgia joins a string of other GOP-controlled states moving to enact strict abortion bans, with the ultimate goal of getting a case in front of the US supreme court to challenge its 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide. “Georgia values life,” he said in a statement on Friday. “The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state.”
The push comes amid rising optimism among conservatives that the restrictions might prevail in the reconfigured high court that includes Donald Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The measure was approved by just one vote more than the majority needed to pass out of the house: 92 votes from the 180-member chamber. Following the vote, law enforcement confronted several Democratic lawmakers and protesters speaking against the bill in the halls of the capitol, threatening to arrest people if a crowd didn’t disperse and stop chanting “shame”.
Georgia joins a string of other Republican-controlled states moving to enact strict abortion bans, with the ultimate goal of getting a case in front of the US supreme court to challenge its 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
The push comes amid rising optimism among conservatives that the restrictions might prevail in a high court that includes Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion during the first 20 weeks of a pregnancy. A heartbeat can be detected in an embryo as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion during the first 20 weeks of a pregnancy. A heartbeat can be detected in an embryo as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
The bill would make exceptions in the case of rape and incest – but only when the woman files a police report first – and to save the life of the mother. It also would allow for abortions when a foetus is determined not to be viable because of serious medical issues. The bill would make exceptions in the case of rape and incest – but only when the woman files a police report first – and to save the life of the mother. It also would allow for abortions when a fetus is determined not to be viable because of serious medical issues.
The legislation faced a groundswell of opposition, including Democratic lawmakers and protesters saying on social media and in person that lawmakers who voted in favuor of the bill would be targeted in 2020 elections. Republican Ed Setzler, the bill’s author, said it was a “common sense” measure that seeks to balance “the difficult circumstances women find themselves in with the basic right to life of a child”.
If signed and not blocked in court, the Georgia law would take effect from 1 January 2020. Democrat Dar’shun Kendrick called the legislation a “death warrant” for women, noting that the state already has one of the nation’s worst maternal mortality rates.
The ACLU of Georgia said it will challenge the law in court if it is signed by Kemp.
“Under 50 years of supreme court precedent, this bill is blatantly unconstitutional,” Sean Young, legal director for the ACLU of Georgia, said in an interview. “That is why every single federal court that has considered such bans has struck them down.”
The legislation faced a groundswell of opposition, including Democratic lawmakers and protesters saying on social media and in person that lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill would be targeted in 2020 elections.
A group of women at the Georgia capitol protested the bill dressed as characters from The Handmaid’s Tale, which depicts a dystopian future where women are controlled by the government and forced to reproduce. The activists in red cloaks and white bonnets have been an almost daily presence since the House first passed the measure earlier this month.
Two influential groups, the Medical Association of Georgia and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, sent letters to lawmakers opposing the legislation.
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The legislation also was opposed by the Writers Guild of America, which represents TV and film writers and several Hollywood celebrities who signed an open letter to Kemp in opposition. The letter was led by actor Alyssa Milano and included Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer, Gabrielle Union, Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Mia Farrow and others.
That was significant because Georgia is a burgeoning production hub for TV and film, with 455 productions shot in Georgia in fiscal year 2018, representing $2.7bn in direct spending in the state.
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and Ohio are pursuing similar legislation, while governors in Mississippi and Kentucky have signed heartbeat abortion bans.
Mississippi governor Phil Bryant signed a heartbeat abortion ban on 21 March, despite a federal judge last year striking down a less-restrictive law limiting abortions there.
Kentucky’s law was temporarily blocked by a federal judge shortly after Republican governor Matt Bevin signed it on 14 March, in response to a challenge by the ACLU. A state judge found Iowa’s heartbeat abortion ban to be unconstitutional in January.
If signed and not blocked in court, the Georgia law would take effect on 1 January 2020.
AbortionAbortion
Georgia
Law (US)
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