Georgia Supreme Court halts ruling striking down state's near-ban on abortions

savannah, georgia — 

The Georgia Supreme Court connected Monday halted a ruling striking down the state's near-ban connected abortions portion it considers the state's appeal.

The precocious court's bid came a week aft a justice recovered that Georgia unconstitutionally prohibits abortions beyond astir six weeks of pregnancy, often earlier women recognize they're pregnant. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Sept. 30 that privateness rights nether Georgia's authorities constitution see the close to marque idiosyncratic wellness attraction decisions.

It was 1 of a question of restrictive termination laws passed successful Republican-controlled states aft the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade successful 2022 and ended a nationalist close to abortion. It prohibited astir abortions erstwhile a "detectable quality heartbeat" was present. At astir six weeks into a pregnancy, cardiac enactment tin beryllium detected by ultrasound successful an embryo's cells that volition yet go the heart.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed it successful 2019, but it didn't instrumentality effect until Roe v. Wade fell.

McBurney wrote successful his ruling that "liberty successful Georgia includes successful its meaning, successful its protections, and successful its bundle of rights the powerfulness of a pistillate to power her ain body, to determine what happens to it and successful it, and to cull authorities interference with her healthcare choices."

"When a fetus increasing wrong a pistillate reaches viability, erstwhile nine tin presume attraction and work for that abstracted life, past — and lone past — whitethorn nine intervene," McBurney wrote.

The judge's determination rolled backmost termination limits successful Georgia to a anterior instrumentality allowing abortions until viability, astir 22 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

"Once again, the volition of Georgians and their representatives has been overruled by the idiosyncratic beliefs of 1 judge," Kemp said successful a connection successful effect to McBurney's decision. "Protecting the lives of the astir susceptible among america is 1 of our astir ineffable responsibilities, and Georgia volition proceed to beryllium a spot wherever we combat for the lives of the unborn."

Abortion providers and advocates successful Georgia had applauded McBurney's ruling but expressed interest that it would soon beryllium overturned.