“It is the constitutional duty of the Georgia Attorney General to defend our state’s laws. Today, our arguments have prevailed, meaning the Eleventh Circuit has allowed Georgia’s LIFE Act to take effect immediately,” said Georgia’s Attorney General Georgia Chris Carr, Republican. he said in a statement. A federal district court in 2020 had blocked state officials from implementing the law, which bans abortions when early heart activity is detected. The challenge to the law, which was signed in 2019 by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, was brought by Georgia abortion providers, abortion rights groups and professionals. The appeals court on Wednesday overturned the lower court’s ruling, saying in its opinion that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson last month “made clear that there is no right to abortion under the Constitution, so Georgia can ban them.” HB 481 redefines “natural person” as “any human being including an unborn child.” It also defines “unborn child” as “a member of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development carried in the womb.” The appeals court said the law’s redefinition of “natural person” was “not vague.” The plaintiffs called the court’s decision to issue an immediate stay of the injunction a “highly unorthodox move.” “Across the state, providers are now being forced to turn away patients who thought they could access abortion, instantly changing the course of their lives and futures. This is appalling,” said the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of of Georgia, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Southeast and Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a joint statement. A court’s decision usually takes effect after its formal order is issued, which is about 28 days after a decision is made, according to plaintiffs’ judges. The law includes exceptions for medical emergencies to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or physical disability. It also provides exemptions for abortions at 20 weeks or less if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest — and if a formal police report is filed. In a statement, Kemp said he was “delighted” with the court’s decision. “Since taking office in 2019, our family has been committed to serving Georgia in a way that loves and values every person, and today’s decision by the 11th Circuit reaffirms our promise to protect life at every stage,” the governor said . This title and story have been updated with additional details.
