What’s going on with abortion laws in Georgia?

On Sep 30th, 2024, a Fulton County judge ruled that Georgia’s six-week abortion ban (HB 481) should be overturned because it violates Georgians’ rights to privacy and liberty. But the state Attorney General appealed that decision. Then, on Oct 7th, the Georgia Supreme Court agreed to consider the appeal and reinstated the six-week ban for the duration, meaning abortion care continues to be severely restricted during the appeals process.

We don’t know when the Georgia Supreme Court will issue a final ruling or what the outcome will be. But we know that this court has been hostile to reproductive freedom. Meanwhile, the six-week ban is not even the only barrier we face to accessing care. Over a dozen pre-existing restrictions in state law continue to pose obstacles and shut doors for many Georgians.

Heartbreaking and preventable deaths, like those of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, are real, devastating consequences of pushing quality care out of reach. No one should lose their life due to political interference in healthcare decisions! Georgia has one of the country’s highest maternal mortality rates, and Black people are three times more likely to be affected. Government restriction on reproductive healthcare makes pregnancy more dangerous for everyone.

This is no time to wait for the courts to decide our rights!
There is more we can do. When’s the last time you contacted your elected officials about the solutions that are in their reach right now to liberate abortion access?

Remind our elected state lawmakers that their support of the Reproductive Freedom Act is vital. If a majority of them backed it right now, Georgians would have access to safe, legal, and affordable abortion care in their own communities without delay.

If passed, the Reproductive Freedom Act would repeal Georgia’s plethora of harmful abortion restrictions, expand access to timely care, and enshrine our reproductive freedoms into law, so that our health can no longer be caught up in legal limbo. Georgians deserve no less. We need lasting, comprehensive change – we need the Reproductive Freedom Act.

Your voice is crucial.

Let your legislators know that we need the Reproductive Freedom Act, and we will not stop fighting until all abortion restrictions are repealed and reproductive justice is fully realized in Georgia.