Georgia's abortion ban goes to court as judge shuts down state’s request to delay arguments
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Georgia Reinstates 6 Week Abortion Ban
Last updated Nov 24, 2022
Image credit: Shutterstock [via The Wall Street Journal]Facts
- On Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court reinstated the state's six-week abortion ban, reversing last week's ruling from a lower court that declared the restriction unconstitutional.
- On Nov. 15, a Fulton County Superior judge ruled that the ban was unlawful as it was enacted in 2019 when the prevailing law of Roe v. Wade protected abortion access nationwide.
- The judge's ruling was in response to a lawsuit from advocacy group SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective that claimed that the "heartbeat bill" violates women's privacy rights under Georgia's constitution.
- The state immediately appealed the judge's ruling and requested that it be placed on hold for the duration of the appeal.
- This case is the latest in a string of lawsuits challenging states' abortion bans since the overturning of Roe in June, including in Indiana, North Dakota, Arizona, West Virginia, Ohio, and Texas, among others.
Spin
Democratic narrative
Although the decision to overturn Roe gave the power over abortion to the states, many of these trigger bans and abortion restrictions violate state constitutions and infringe on women's rights to bodily autonomy. It's absolutely necessary for judges to step in and block these bans.
Republican narrative
These trigger laws and restrictions were all legally voted on and implemented by their states' respective legislatures under the caveat that they would take effect if Roe were overturned. It's now the duty of state officials to enforce them. Opponents are free to challenge them, but they're in for a tough fight that they will inevitably lose.
