A Fulton County judge could soon decide whether to once again temporarily block Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, which a federal appeals court allowed to take effect last month.
Parties filed final briefs in the court case against Georgia's 2019 abortion ban after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections. A judge will now decide whether or not the law can take effect.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed Georgia's House Bill 481 into law in 2019. The legislation remains tied up in federal courts, but in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, HB 481's ban after six weeks gestation has abortion providers— and women from Georgia and neighboring states — bracing for a new plan of care.
Reproductive rights proponents worry about the risk of counseling those who seek medication abortions, though they've published online support techniques and guides for safe use of the drugs.
Saint Luke's Health System, which operates several hospitals in the Kansas City area, said it was concerned about the risk of criminal prosecution by offering the emergency contraceptive.
With roughly half of U.S. states likely to ban abortion, volunteers in California are mobilizing to help women travel there for care. State lawmakers want to support some of those efforts too.
A leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s highly anticipated ruling on abortion rights suggests the nation’s highest court could soon overturn Roe v. Wade and unleash states like Georgia to severely restrict access to the procedure. The unofficial ruling, which was obtained by Politico, became public a couple months before a decision was expected, immediately jolting Georgia politics as early voting starts for this year’s primary election.
The streets of downtown Atlanta echoed with the now-familiar sounds of protest chants Tuesday as hundreds marched to demonstrate after a leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion which, if given final approval, would severely limit abortion access in the majority of states, including Georgia.
The Texas law has no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. Social workers say that's hurting some survivors financially, psychologically and physically.
Georgia’s law, which also includes a tax break for expecting parents and other so-called “personhood” provisions, has never taken effect. A federal judge blocked the law last year, which is a decision the state then appealed. Women can still access abortion services in Georgia until 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
The first such march was held the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017. Thousands of people were expected to turn out in hundreds of cities across the nation on Saturday.
"Today, abortion remains safe and legal in South Carolina, and politicians' plan to restrict access to health care has failed," the region's Planned Parenthood president said following the decision.