Georgia Supreme Court reinstates 6-week abortion ban while appeal is underway

SUMMARY

The Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated the state's six-week abortion ban, reversing a recent ruling that deemed it unconstitutional. This decision halts the ability for abortions to proceed past six weeks while the court reviews the state's appeal. Under the reinstated law, abortions are now prohibited after six weeks of pregnancy. The ban originated following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing Georgia's law to take effect. The legal back-and-forth began when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled last week against the ban, asserting that while the state has a compelling interest in protecting "unborn" life, the rights of women must take precedence until that life can be sustained. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the law into effect, expressed his discontent with the previous ruling, stating, "Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives has been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge."