Georgia’s fetal heartbeat bill

Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp signed a conservative abortion bill, which added Georgia to the list of states adopting a heartbeat abortion bill. The new bill bans abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detected, and this occurs around six weeks into the pregnancy often before a woman is even aware that she is pregnant. Exceptions are allowed in cases where continuing the pregnancy would seriously harm the woman, and in cases of rape or incest in which a police report must be filed.

With the new appointment of Judge Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court now has a majority Republican that makes conservatives feel they have a shot at overturning the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade (1973), which secures a person’s right to privacy from the government. The case is widely connected to a woman’s right to an abortion, and so conservatives have generally denounced it. Liberals have also been adamant about maintaining abortion rights through the courts, with activists challenging abortion bans in several states.