- The abortion ban in Georgia, which went into force in 2021, will stay in place after the state Supreme Court overturned a prior ruling by a lower court that said the law was unconstitutional.
- The litigation over the anti-abortion statute will resume in Fulton County Superior Court, where the complaint has been returned. Proponents of abortion rights want to contest the legislation through further legal means, including as arguing that it infringes upon Georgians’ constitutional rights to privacy and equal protection.
- Once heart activity is identified in an embryo, usually at around six weeks, before most women realize they are pregnant, the state legislation forbids abortions. According to the Society of Family Planning, Georgia’s monthly abortion totals have decreased by around half since the law went into force.
- Plaintiffs said last spring that because Roe v. Wade had already been decided, the anti-abortion statute was invalid when it was passed. The state said that the statute was legitimate since the federal constitution has not altered and the 2021 Dobbs ruling had concluded that Roe v. Wade had been incorrect from the beginning.
- A majority of judges, voting 6-1 in favor of the state, contended that it is only their duty as members of the constitutional order to “act of obedience” by applying the Court’s revised understanding of the meaning of the Constitution to cases involving federal constitutional law.
- The Georgia Life Alliance, which contributed to the bill’s drafting, referred to the decision as a “huge win for life.” The decision was hailed by Governor Brian Kemp, whose backing was crucial in the bill’s passage, as “one more step towards ending this litigation and ensuring the lives of Georgians at all ages are protected.”
Source:
Axios Vital
