Georgia’s six-week abortion ban was just blocked by a federal judge from going into effect, according to Barbara Ann Luttrell, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Southeast. As of today, every so-called “heartbeat” bill has now been stopped from being implemented.
The law, House Bill 481, was set to go into effect on January 1, 2020.
“This is a victory for Georgia and people all across the country,” Luttrell said in a telephone interview with CBS News. “We promise the people we serve and the people across the state to protect access to abortion and together we have.”
Emily Nestler, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the court recognized that the law is “blatantly unconstitutional and a clear attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
“Georgia is one of nine states that passed abortion bans this year, all of which have been blocked by courts. Instead of passing laws that restrict the rights of pregnant women, Georgia lawmakers should be implementing policies that help pregnant women,” Nestler said in a statement.
“Georgia has the worst maternal mortality rate in the country. Black women in Georgia face the highest risk-they are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women,” she added.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
