Jordan provided an example of one of the thorny legal issues that might loom on the horizon: what about a woman who entered the country illegally and became pregnant in Georgia? Georgia`s 41 non-rural counties, defined as those with 50,000 or more residents, accounted for nearly 91 percent of abortions. The remaining 118 counties accounted for about 9 percent of abortions performed. “The LIFE law aims to recognize the unborn child as a legal entity in social services, in the civil environment, in child support, from a tax point of view, with regard to mothers traveling on VOM trains, and of course, if the child is human, they will not be subjected to abortion.” Nearly two-thirds of abortions reported in the state take place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, where most of the state`s abortion clinics are located, with Fulton County reporting 6,808 abortions in 2021. The Atlanta metropolitan area accounts for about half of Georgia`s 10.7 million residents. More than two-thirds of abortions were performed on black women. Nearly 19% of abortions were performed on white women. Georgia`s 2019 law, officially called the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act (LIFE), would ban most abortions once fetal heart activity is detected, usually about six weeks after pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. Only 28 facilities offer abortions and only 17 of them are clinics. The number of abortion clinics has been declining for many years, from 82 in 1982 to 55 in 1992 and 17 in 2014. Due to strict restrictions in neighboring states, as well as cost issues, thousands of women come from outside the state to perform abortions in Georgia. In 2014, there were 30,013 legal abortions and in 2015, 31,009. 14.5% of all abortions performed in 2015 were to out-of-state residents.
[7] There is an active movement for abortion rights in the state. This received an increase in donations following the passage of the state`s controversial 2019 law, with state women participating in marches in May 2019 in favor of abortion rights as part of a #StoptheBans movement. On July 20, 2022, this six-week abortion ban came into effect and introduced the current ban after embryonic heart cell activity began. [1] Ministry of Health records show that 34,988 abortions were performed in 2021, a rate of 10.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 10 to 55. That number has increased in each of the last four years, having declined steadily since 1994 – as far back as the state archives go. “Georgia realized when it passed the law that living, diverse and whole people in their mothers deserve full legal recognition, and that`s what Georgia did,” Republican Rep. Ed Setzler of Acworth, lead author of the bill and candidate for the state Senate, said in an interview before the decision was released. Before Wednesday`s decision, Georgia allowed abortions up to 22 weeks after pregnancy — or about 20 weeks after conception. Subsequent abortions were always allowed if a doctor determined that the mother`s life was in danger, that her physical health was severely impaired, or that the fetus did not survive. According to a 2020 study, the 22-week law reduced the number of abortions after 21 weeks. [37] The U.S.
Supreme Court decision in which Roe v. Wade ushered in a new era for women`s health and legal rights that can go far beyond abortion rights. Thousands of women came from outside the state in 2015 to have abortions in North Carolina and Georgia. 14.5 percent of all abortions in Georgia this year were for out-of-state residents, while 7.5 percent of all abortions performed in North Carolina were performed for out-of-state residents. This contrasted with neighboring South Carolina, where only 5.9 percent of abortions performed in the state involved out-of-state residents. • In 2017, 36,330 abortions were offered in Georgia, although not all abortions that took place in Georgia were made available to residents of the state: some patients may have traveled from other states and some residents of Georgia may have traveled to another state for an abortion. Between 2014 and 2017, the abortion rate in Georgia increased by 8 percent, from 15.7 to 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age. Abortions in Georgia account for 4.2% of all abortions in the United States. [1] According to the decision released Friday, states will have the option to decide on restrictions on access to abortion. Georgia does not have an induction law like other states that would immediately ban abortion, but it has put on hold an anti-abortion law that could soon go into effect. Anti-abortion activists say without Roe v. Wade as a legal guide, they plan to try to further restrict access to abortion.
“Today, politicians stand shamefully between Georgians and their ability to control their own bodies and determine their own future,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Since the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade forced us into a public health crisis, states across the country acted quickly to ban abortion, and patients had to travel farther and farther to access basic health care in a place where it`s still legal. Soon, Georgians who have passed the early stages of pregnancy will face the same obstacle, and it will be insurmountable for some. People who cannot afford to leave the state will be forced to request an abortion outside the health system or remain pregnant against their will. This is a serious human rights violation, and Planned Parenthood, along with its partners, will do everything in its power to fight back and ensure that all people can receive the health care they need, no matter where they live. Georgia limits abortions after 20 weeks after fertilization (22 weeks since the last menstrual period). The majority of women affected by the ban are already members of vulnerable populations. A 20-week abortion ban disproportionately harms women and families facing some of the most medically complex situations imaginable.
