US: Georgia Gov signs controversial ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ abortion law; bans abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy

08 May 2019

Categories: International News

May 08, 2019:

On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, effectively banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, when doctors can usually start detecting a fetal heartbeat.

Georgia is the fourth state to enact a so-called fetal heartbeat law this year. Like in other states, it is expected to face a swift legal challenge, which supporters hope will lead to a re-evaluation by the United States Supreme Court of the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide.

Mr. Kemp, a Republican, said in a signing ceremony at the State Capitol that his administration is prepared for a court fight.

“Our job is to do what is right, not what is easy,” he said. “We are called to be strong and courageous, and we will not back down.”

The Georgia legislation is but the latest front in a wide-ranging battle over abortion rights being waged this year across Republican-controlled state legislatures in the Midwest and South. Conservative lawmakers see the realignment of the Supreme Court as presenting their best opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade, the case that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

The Georgia law, which would take effect in 2020, prohibits most abortions once doctors can discern a fetal heartbeat, a milestone that occurs before some women know they are pregnant. In practice, the limit on abortion in Georgia will now be six weeks of pregnancy, instead of 20 weeks.

Exceptions are allowed to prevent death or serious harm to the woman, and in cases of rape or incest in which a police report has been filed.

Mr. Kemp was narrowly elected last November, and the bill he signed on Tuesday was seen as crucial in maintaining the conservative support that led him into the governor’s office. Mr. Kemp and the law’s other supporters have brushed aside the risks of any political backlash.

“This is a historic day for Georgia,” Catherine Davis, an anti-abortion rights activist, said at Mr. Kemp’s signing ceremony. “This is a day that many of us who have been in the pro-life fight for years and years and years didn’t really think it would be possible, in light of the politics of the issue.”

The law’s critics said that they intend to target Republicans for defeat, especially those from the demographically shifting northern suburbs of Atlanta who supported the bill in the General Assembly.

“Georgians will fight back in the courtroom and at the ballot box & win,” Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for Governor in 2018, said in a tweet on Monday.

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Tags : Abortion abortion law pregnancy Pregnancy Bill United States

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