The ruling Tuesday by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney stemmed from a lawsuit that argued the state’s “pulse bill” violated pregnant women’s liberty and privacy rights under the state constitution. Georgia’s ban has been in place since July. Kara Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Georgia attorney general, told Axios that the state “will file an immediate appeal and will continue to fulfill our duty to defend our state’s laws in court.” In his 15-page decision, McBurney said that when the law went into effect, “everywhere in America, including Georgia, it was clearly unconstitutional for governments — federal, state or local — to ban abortion before viability.” The ruling adds new pressure on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to advance abortion measures — either restrictions or protections. Kemp, who won re-election last week, could face pressure from anti-abortion advocates to further restrict the procedure in the state once the legislature reconvenes. He beat Democrat Stacey Abrams, who had pledged to lift restrictions on the process. Meanwhile, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) also won re-election last week, fending off a challenge from Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan. Carr had moved to enact the state’s ban on abortions after detecting fetal heart activity after the nation’s highest court overturned Roe. This is a developing story and will be updated.
