GA Abortion Law May Soon Be In Place As Kemp Hails 'Historic Victory'

GEORGIA — Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday that the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow states to again outlaw abortion is a “historic victory for life.”

The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, which gave women a federal right to have an abortion. In Georgia, the ruling means the LIFE Act passed in 2019 may soon go into law. The bill bans most abortions at six weeks.

“I look forward to its impact on the legal proceeding surrounding Georgia’s LIFE Act and I hope our law will be fully implemented and ultimately protect countless unborn lives here in the peach State,” Kemp said in a statement.

“Working closely with the General Assembly, we have made significant strides to stand for life at all stages - from adoption and foster care reform, to combating human trafficking and passing the heartbeat bill - and we will continue that important work in the days and months to come.”

The measure is on hold right now before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals awaiting a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Mississippi case.

With the 6-3 ruling Friday in the Mississippi case, the 11th Circuit is likely to allow the six-week ban to take effect relatively quickly, having already heard oral arguments in the case, although there could be fresh legal challenges. That would ban the large majority of abortions that currently take place in Georgia – about 87 percent according to providers.

The change could happen in the middle of tightly contested races in Georgia for governor and U.S. Senate. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger for governor Stacey Abrams say they want to secure abortion rights. Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp support restrictions.

Some Republican lawmakers and candidates want Georgia to go further and ban abortion entirely, but Kemp is unlikely to call a special session before this November's general election.

Kemp's 2019 "Heartbeat Bill," which was sponsored by state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), would allow abortions in cases where the mother's life or health is in danger, or in cases of medical emergency. The bill also says that even an unborn child at any stage of development in the womb would be included in state population-based counts.

Georgia became the fourth state to pass such a measure, joining Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio.

According to the America’s Health Rankings, Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Maternal mortality rates in Georgia are increasing and are highest among Black mothers. Teen birth rates in Georgia are higher than the national average.

NARAL Pro-Choice America called the bill “unconstitutional” and that it “outlaws and criminalizes abortion procedures as early as 6 weeks without an adequate exception to protect women’s health.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock said on Twitter that he’s outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision.

“As a pro-choice pastor, I’ll never back down from this fight. Women must be able to make their own health care decisions, not politicians.”

Reporting and writing from The Associated Press was used in this report.