Federal Judges Knock Down ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bans In Georgia, Tennessee
A temporary hold on Georgia's 2019 "heartbeat" abortion law was ruled permanent by a federal judge Monday. In a separate case, another federal judge put a temporary block on a similar measure, just signed by Tennessee's governor. Both state laws would have effectively prohibited the procedure at six weeks of pregnancy.
AP:
Federal Judge Voids Georgia 'Heartbeat' Abortion Restriction
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked Georgia’s 2019 “heartbeat” abortion law, finding that it violates the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against the state in a lawsuit filed by abortion providers and an advocacy group. Jones had temporarily blocked the law in October, and it never went into effect. The new ruling permanently enjoins the state from ever enforcing House Bill 481. (Amy, 7/13)
The Hill:
Federal Judges Block Abortion Ban Laws In Tennessee, Georgia
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Tennessee issued a temporary restraining order to block a law that would have essentially banned abortion at nearly every stage of pregnancy, less than an hour after Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed it. (Weixel, 7/13)
CNN:
Judges Block Six-Week Abortion Bans In Georgia And Tennessee
The bills -- passed in Georgia in spring 2019 and in Tennessee last month -- ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy and before many women even know they're pregnant. The bills highlight the longstanding battle over abortion rights playing out in state legislatures. (Kelly, 7/13)
ABC News:
Georgia's 6-Week Abortion Ban Officially Struck Down
District Judge Steve C. Jones said the state law, H.B. 481, was unconstitutional as it violated several stipulations set forth by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that codified abortion as a protected right. "After considering H.B. 481 as a whole, the title, the caption, the prior legislation, the legislative scheme, the old law, the evil, and the remedy, the Court rejects the State Defendants' argument that the statutory purpose solely concerns "promoting fetal well-being," he wrote in his decision. (Pereira, 7/13)
