By Staff Reports | WJCL-TV (Savannah) | June 28, 2019

Several organizations have filed a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s abortion ban, set to take effect on January 1, 2020.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Georgia, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Friday challenging Georgia’s abortion ban, set to take effect on January 1, 2020. The law bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before many even know they are pregnant.
“This legislation is blatantly unconstitutional under nearly 50 years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Politicians should never second guess women’s health care decisions,” said Sean J. Young, legal director of the ACLU of Georgia. “Politicians have no business telling women or a couple when to start or expand a family. Our lawsuit asks the court to block the law from taking effect on January 1, 2020.”
The defendants in the case are Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Attorney General Christopher M. Carr, Commissioner for the Department of Public Health Kathleen Toomey, the Executive Director and Members of the Georgia Composite Medical Board, and the District Attorneys for the counties where the plaintiffs provide medical care — all sued in their official capacities.
The ACLU has challenged similar abortion bans in Kentucky and Ohio, and a near total ban in Alabama, among other litigation. The Center for Reproductive Rights has challenged Mississippi’s six-week ban and 15-week ban, both of which have been blocked.
News of the abortion ban has led to many entertainment companies, including Disney, Netflix and WarnerMedia, saying they would reevaluate whether to do business with Georgia should the law go into effect.
Read the full complaint here.