A federal appeals court in the state of Georgia has ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban can take effect immediately.
The law, passed in 2019, bans abortions once the fetal heartbeat can be detected.
This legislation also changes the definition of “natural person” to include fetuses or embryos that have formed in the womb within weeks of fertilization, before many women realize they are pregnant.
The legislation provides limited exceptions in cases of rape and incest, but for this the victims must file a police report. Likewise, it also allows some exceptions in cases of medical emergencies.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the family planning organization Planned Parenthood said in a statement: “This is a highly unorthodox move that will immediately make patients unable to access abortion services beyond of the early stages of pregnancy. Providers [de servicios de aborto] across the state will now be forced to turn away patients who they thought might be able to access these services, which will immediately change the course of their lives and their futures.”
