On Monday, August 8, 2022, the Superior Court of Fulton County held a hearing on a request from abortion providers and advocates for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit challenging certain provisions of H.B. 481. The law bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy–before many people even know they are pregnant.
The state challenge was filed July 26, after a federal appeals court allowed Georgia’s six-week ban to take effect. The judge did not issue a decision during the hearing. After the proceedings, litigators and plaintiffs challenging the ban answered media questions outside the courthouse.
“Let’s understand, this affects reproductive healthcare across the board; it has overturned 50 years of practice. People with miscarriages, people needing abortions, people with pregnancies that go wrong, and people who need cancer treatment are all impacted,” said Andrea Young, executive director of ACLU of Georgia during the press conference. “We know that women have had the right to make these decisions with their own family, their own faith, their own physicians and now the legislature and Governor Kemp have brought sheriff’s and district attorneys into this decision making, this is not appropriate. We believe this is a violation of the Constitution.”
Media coverage of the hearing:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Judge could soon decide temporary fate of new Georgia abortion law”
WABE: “Fulton County judge hears arguments in lawsuit challenging Georgia’s six-week abortion law”
AP News: “Judge considers whether to block Georgia abortion law again”