Georgia governor Brian Kemp has signed the state’s controversial “heartbeat” abortion ban, giving the southern state one of the most restrictive laws in the United States as conservatives attempt to trigger a broader legal battle around the constitutionality of abortions.
Mr Kemp had promised on the campaign trail last year to sign the bill, which bans all abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detectable by a physician.
A foetus’s heartbeat is generally detectable around the sixth week of a pregnancy, so the new law marks a dramatic reduction from the 20 week mark currently allowed for women to make the decision about their pregnancy.
The bill was sent to Mr Kemp’s desk in March, and will not go into effect until 1 January.
The law comes as a part of a broader conservative movement that has seen several state legislatures creating laws that they hope will then spur a legal challenge, and, ultimately, a new ruling in the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of abortion bans and restrictions.
Georgia’s new law has already sparked such a legal challenge, adding the state to a list of four states that have passed these laws just this year.
The other states include Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio.
Mr Kemp, announcing his decision to sign the bill into law, recognised that his signature would be met with swift legal action.
“I realise that some may challenge it in a court of law, but our job is to do what is right not what is easy,” Mr Kemp said.
Planned Parenthood released a statement moments after the bill was signed by the governor, and pledged to take Georgia to task over the abortion policy.
“Planned Parenthood will be suing the State of Georgia. We will fight this terrible bill because this is about our patients' lives,” Dr Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said.
