Georgia's controversial "Heartbeat" Abortion bill has been signed into law. Now called the "Life Act", Governor Brian Kemp signed the measure Tuesday during a ceremonyinside the Georgia Capitol in downtown Atlanta. Prior to attaching his signature, Governor Kemp remarked that "Georgia is a state that values life, protects the innocent, and speaks for those that can not speak for themselves." Kemp added, "The Life Act is very simple, but also very powerful. A declaration that all life has value, that all lifematters, and all life is worthy of protection."
ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young, says the organization is preparing to challenge the new law in court. Young calls the bill "unconstitutional as a violation of theSupreme Court case and Roe versus Wade." Young adding, "a woman's right to choose has been the law for nearly 50 years, and this bill is essentially an abortion ban that violatesthe Supreme Court's constitutional interpretation of women's rights and the Roe v Wade case."
Georgia's new abortion law would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which medical experts say is anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. Current Georgialaw bans abortions after 20 weeks. The bill makes exceptions in the event of rape and incest.