Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, approved a piece of legislation Tuesday that prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected — usually around the sixth week of pregnancy.
“Georgia is a state that values life,” Kemp said during a signing ceremony for the legislation. “We protect the innocent, we champion the vulnerable, we stand up and speak for those that are unable to speak for themselves.”
Georgia’s previous limit for abortions was 20 weeks, although exceptions were permitted in some cases where the mother’s life was in jeopardy, or in some cases of rape or incest.
Other states — Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio — have also approved similar pieces of legislation this past year amid backlash. A Kentucky judge blocked the law in the state, and a federal judge is slated to hear a challenge to the law this month in Mississippi.
The legislation, which will take effect in 2020, is expected to face legal challenges. But Kemp said he won’t “back down.”
“Our job is to do what is right, not what is easy,” Kemp said. “We are called to be strong and courageous, and we will not back down.”
The Center for Reproductive Rights said it will challenge Georgia’s heartbeat bill just as it challenged Mississippi’s law.
“Bans like this have always been blocked by courts,” Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “We will be suing Georgia to make sure this law has the same fate.”
