On Tuesday, 24 October, the Georgia Supreme Court delivered a ruling in the case of State of Georgia v. SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective et al. The ruling upheld the constitutionality of the LIFE Act (also known as the Heartbeat Bill), which was signed into law in 2019 by Governor Brian Kemp, a proponent of pro-life policies.
“We are forever grateful for the political will shown by Georgia’s pro-life elected officials, including Governor Brian Kemp, Senator Ed Setzler, Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson, and Senator Renee Unterman (ret.), who all fought to pass the LIFE Act in 2019,” said Claire Bartlett, Executive Director of Georgia Life Alliance.
Following the affirmation of Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, SisterSong, Planned Parenthood, and other pro-abortion organisations initiated a state constitutional challenge against H.B. 481, Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness & Equality (LIFE) Act. The organisations contended that the enactment of the bill in 2019 constituted a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Georgia Constitution’s right to privacy, which prohibits “political interference.”
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs was controlling and that Georgia’s LIFE Act was constitutional.
The decision of the court today did not address the claim that the LIFE Act violates the Constitution of the state of Georgia through the introduction of undue political influence. The case has been remanded to the lower court.
“National Right to Life celebrates this victory with our state affiliate, Georgia Life Alliance, and looks forward to the LIFE Act continuing to save thousands of lives,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
