Georgia
Hostile
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe:
Georgia will likely try to prohibit abortion by enforcing its six-week ban on abortion. The law, enacted in 2019 and permanently enjoined, is intended to prohibit abortion before many people know they are pregnant. Numerous medically unnecessary restrictions already make it difficult to access abortion care in Georgia.
Restrictions
Georgia law generally prohibits abortion at twenty weeks post-fertilization.[1]GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141. In 2019, Georgia enacted a six-week ban, which is permanently enjoined.[2]GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141(b); SisterSong Women of Color Reprod. Just. Collective v. Kemp, 472 F. Supp. 3d 1297 (N.D. Ga. 2020), appeal filed by Kemp (Defendants-Appellants), 11th Cir., August 11, … Continue reading It also prohibits D&X abortion procedures.[3]GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-144(b). Pregnant people who seek abortion care must undergo a mandatory twenty-four-hour waiting period and biased counseling.[4]Id. § 31-9A-3. Georgia also limits public funding for,[5]Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Medicaid, Policies and Procedures for Hospital Services, § 911 (2016), available at gshp.wildapricot.org…; GA. CODE ANN. § 45-18-4.. and private insurance coverage of, abortion.[6]GA. CODE ANN. § 33-24-59.17(a). Georgia law generally requires that a parent or legal guardian be notified about a minor’s abortion;[7]Id. § 15-11-682. alternatively a judge can approve a minor’s petition without parental notification.[8]Id. § 15-11-684(c).
Georgia requires abortion providers to submit reports to the state.[9]Id. § 16-12-141.1; id. § 31-10-19. State law restricts the provision of abortion care to licensed physicians.[10]Id. § 16-12-141(e)(2). Providers who violate Georgia’s abortion restrictions may face civil and criminal penalties.[11]See, e.g., GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141.1(f); id. § 16-12-143.
Protections
Georgia law does not include express constitutional or statutory protections for abortion. To the contrary, Georgia’s attempt at enforcing a six-week ban states “unborn children are a class of living, distinct persons”[12]H.B. 481, 155th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ga. 2019). indicates its policy preference to ban abortion to the fullest extent of the law.
Laws that could be enforced if Roe v. Wade is limited or overturned
The Supreme Court invalidated certain provisions of the state’s pre-Roe ban.[13]Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 199, 93 S. Ct. 739, 751-2 (1973); but see 1973 Ga. Laws 635-38 and GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-140, formerly GA. CODE ANN. § 26-1201.
Conclusion
If Roe v. Wade is limited or overturned, Georgia will likely move to enforce its six-week ban to prohibit abortion almost entirely.
References
| ↑1 | GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141(b); SisterSong Women of Color Reprod. Just. Collective v. Kemp, 472 F. Supp. 3d 1297 (N.D. Ga. 2020), appeal filed by Kemp (Defendants-Appellants), 11th Cir., August 11, 2020. Stayed pending a decision by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 141 S.Ct. 2619 (2021), stayed on 9/27/2021. |
| ↑3 | GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-144(b). |
| ↑4 | Id. § 31-9A-3. |
| ↑5 | Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Medicaid, Policies and Procedures for Hospital Services, § 911 (2016), available at gshp.wildapricot.org…; GA. CODE ANN. § 45-18-4.. |
| ↑6 | GA. CODE ANN. § 33-24-59.17(a). |
| ↑7 | Id. § 15-11-682. |
| ↑8 | Id. § 15-11-684(c). |
| ↑9 | Id. § 16-12-141.1; id. § 31-10-19. |
| ↑10 | Id. § 16-12-141(e)(2). |
| ↑11 | See, e.g., GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-141.1(f); id. § 16-12-143. |
| ↑12 | H.B. 481, 155th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ga. 2019). |
| ↑13 | Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 199, 93 S. Ct. 739, 751-2 (1973); but see 1973 Ga. Laws 635-38 and GA. CODE ANN. § 16-12-140, formerly GA. CODE ANN. § 26-1201. |
