Georgia’s abortion ban took effect on July 20, immediately after a federal appeals court overturned a lower court order.
The three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit stayed the injunction that was issued in 2020, after issuing a ruling finding that the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and a similar decision meant the ban was no longer violative of legal precedent.
The ban in question, the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, was blocked by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee.
Jones said the law, which barred abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, ran counter to Roe, which forbade states from prohibiting the termination of a pregnancy prior to viability. He also ruled that including unborn children in the definition of a “natural person” was unconstitutionally vague, citing Roe….