Abortions: US federal court approves Georgia’s ‘heartbeat’ law

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abortions
US federal court rules ‘heartbeat law’ in Georgia

This protester against the strict abortion law in the US state of Georgia fears that illegal abortions, which are dangerous for women, will now increase

© Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images / AFP

07/21/2022, 09:57

1 min reading time

In the US state of Georgia there will be strict abortion laws in the future. A federal court gives the “heartbeat law” its okay. This means that women can only terminate a pregnancy in the first six weeks.

A month after the US Supreme Court’s controversial abortion decision, a federal court has ruled that the state of Georgia may in future have strict abortion rules. The Federal Court of Appeals decided that the so-called Heartbeat Act could go into effect immediately. Accordingly, women in the state are no longer allowed to terminate their pregnancy as soon as the heartbeat of the fetus has been determined. This can happen as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. The Georgia law had been in court for several years.

The judges said the Supreme Court’s decision paved the way for the law’s passage: The Supreme Court’s ruling made it clear that the Constitution does not provide a right to abortion — so Georgia can ban it, Wednesday’s ruling said. Georgia law provides exceptions for cases of rape and incest that are reported to the police. Subsequent abortions are also permitted if the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus is not viable.

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Meadow Walker

Meadow Walker

Inspired by the US Supreme Court’s decision, Meadow Walker also spoke about her own abortion. She shared on Instagram that she had an abortion herself in 2020. The Supreme Court’s decision was a “major step backwards in history” and a “deep injustice to women in the United States,” said Paul Walker’s daughter. “There are countless women struggling with the decision to have an abortion,” Walker continued. “I too struggled with this decision, but in 2020 – while the world was collapsing under the pandemic – I had an abortion.” It was a “very private and personal experience,” said the 23-year-old. “And so it should be.”

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US court overturns abortion law

At the end of June, the Supreme Court overturned the almost 50-year right to an abortion, arguing that it was not enshrined in the constitution. Because there is no statewide law protecting the right to abortion, legislation now rests with the states. Republican-governed states in particular are trying to enshrine restrictive abortion laws as quickly as possible. They are sometimes stopped again, at least temporarily, by local courts.

tkr
DPA

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