The fate of Georgia’s so-called “heartbeat” abortion law, which bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy, seems tied to the fate of a different abortion case set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
A federal appeals court in Atlanta heard oral arguments in the Georgia case on Friday.
State leaders, including Gov. Brian Kemp, brought the suit to the appeals court looking to overturn a ruling from a lower court that blocked the state’s abortion law.
Just moments into the hearing, a member of the three-judge panel invoked another abortion case concerning a Mississippi abortion law set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court later this year.
A three judge federal appeals court in Atlanta just wrapped a hearing on Georgia’s so-called “heartbeat” abortion law, which bans the procedure in most cases at about six weeks.
The big takeaway? The upcoming SCOTUS case on abortion will impact this one.
The judge said to wait for a decision in the Mississippi case, which could overturn the abortion protections set out in Roe v. Wade, before even considering Georgia’s law.
The state’s law remains blocked in the meantime.
Boosters on my mind…
This week, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee approved COVID-19 booster shots for some populations.
After a series of prosecutors recused themselves in the murder trial of the three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, former Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes was appointed to try the case.
Now Holmes is speaking out about the high-profile killing of Arbery, a Black man who was jogging when he was shot and killed after being chased by three white men.
For a deeper exploration of Ahmaud Arbery’s story, listen to WABE’s podcast, “Buried Truths.” Hosted by journalist, professor, and Pulitzer-prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff, season three of “Buried Truths” explores the Arbery murder and its direct ties to racially motivated murders of the past in Georgia.