Georgia’s lawmakers voted 92-78 to secure passage of a heartbeat abortion bill on Friday.
The legislation would prohibit abortions once a vital heartbeat is detected reducing the number of weeks a woman can receive a legal abortion from 20 to almost six weeks. Following abortion bans in other states like Utah and Kentucky, this would become one of the country’s strictest bans on abortion access and services. The bill does create exemptions for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted as long as they have a filed police report or if the woman’s health would be in danger if she were to give birth.
The bill is set to go into effect January 1, 2020, without a legal challenge. However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia has indicated that they plan to challenge the bill if Governor Brian Kemp signs it into law.