Oct 1, 2019

Georgia's 'fetal heartbeat' abortion ban temporarily blocked by judge

Orion Rummler

In this image, a group of mostly women hold protests signs, some of which read: "I have a right to privacy" and "get your creepy hands off my rights." — Students protest against Georgia's abortion restritions at the State Capitol building on May 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Georgia's "fetal heartbeat" abortion ban, which prohibits and criminalizes abortions as early as 6 weeks into a pregnancy, the AP reports.

The big picture: The majority of states that have passed the most restrictive abortion laws in generations have now had those laws temporarily blocked in court. The Georgia law would have gone into effect in January 2020. Conservatives have been advancing restrictive abortion policies in hopes of sparking a fresh Supreme Court case against the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Background: The Georgia bill essentially acted as an abortion ban, as it allowed the procedure to be criminalized at a point when many women are unaware they are pregnant.

Go deeper ... Where abortion restrictions stand: The states that have passed laws

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Georgia's 'fetal heartbeat' abortion ban temporarily blocked by judge

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