A Georgia law banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, which occurs at about the sixth week of pregnancy, is unconstitutional, a federal court in the state said Monday.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia granted pretrial judgment for abortion providers who challenged the law, saying it directly conflicts with long-settled U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that a woman has a right to end a pregnancy before a fetus would be able to live outside the womb.
The law is similar to “fetal heartbeat” abortion bans enacted by a handful of other states, ...