Georgia high court reinstates ban on abortions after 6 weeks

ATLANTA — The Georgia Supreme Court Wednesday reinstated the state’s prohibition connected abortions aft astir six weeks of pregnancy.

In a one-page order, the precocious tribunal enactment a little tribunal ruling overturning the prohibition connected clasp portion it considers an appeal. Abortion providers who had resumed performing the process past six weeks aft the little tribunal ruling volition again person to stop.

The bid said 7 of the 9 justices had agreed to the decision. It said 1 was disqualified and different did not participate.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled connected November 15 that the state’s termination prohibition was invalid due to the fact that erstwhile it was signed into instrumentality successful 2019, U.S. Supreme Court precedent nether Roe. v. Wade and different ruling allowed termination good past six weeks.

The determination instantly prohibited enforcement of the termination prohibition statewide. Abortion providers had resumed performing the process past six weeks, though immoderate said they were proceeding cautiously implicit concerns the prohibition could beryllium rapidly reinstated.

The authorities lawyer general’s bureau appealed the ruling to the authorities Supreme Court. It besides asked the precocious tribunal for an bid putting the determination connected clasp portion the entreaty was pending.

Georgia’s prohibition took effect successful July, aft the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It prohibited astir abortions erstwhile a “detectable quality heartbeat” was present.

Cardiac enactment tin beryllium detected by ultrasound successful cells wrong an embryo that volition yet go the bosom astir six weeks into a pregnancy. That means astir abortions successful Georgia were efficaciously banned astatine a constituent earlier galore radical knew they were pregnant.