A federal appeals court reversed a lower court ruling Wednesday, allowing a Georgia abortion law to go into effect immediately.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Georgia and other states had laws put into effect that banned abortions.
Georgia’s law prohibits most abortions once a “detectable human heartbeat” is found. It does have exceptions for rape and incest, as long as a police report is filed.
There is also an exception if the mother’s life is at risk or a serious medical condition makes the fetus unviable.
Last month, a judge in the Georgia case wrote that the Supreme Court decision “makes clear no right to abortion exists under the Constitution, so Georgia may prohibit them,” reported the New York Post.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a second order Wednesday to allow the law to take effect immediately.
Initially, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the law in 2019, but it was blocked in 2020 by a federal district court.
“Since taking office in 2019, our family has committed to serving Georgia in a way that cherishes and values each and every human being, and today’s decision by the 11th Circuit affirms our promise to protect life at all stages,” Kemp said Wednesday.
Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, tweeted “Today, Brian Kemp achieved his goal: to endanger women, strip away our right to choose, and deny our ability to make medical decisions”.
“While it has taken over three years to take effect, the impact is clear: women are now second-class citizens in Kemp’s Georgia,” she continued, including a video of herself addressing the law.
“We’ll continue using every tool we have to fight for abortion access in Georgia — no one should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will,” said the American Civil Liberties Union.