Georgia Legislature Passes Fetal Heartbeat Bill

Atlanta, GA – The Georgia House of Representatives passed HB 481, the “Living Infants Fairness & Equality (LIFE) Act” or the so-called “fetal heartbeat bill” today to prohibit most abortions once a child has a detectable heartbeat at approximately 6 weeks gestation.

HB 481 passed the Georgia House after the State Senate made technical changes to the bill earlier this week and the legislation now goes to Governor Brian Kemp for signature.

“HB 481 may be the most significant pro-life legislation in Georgia history,” said Virginia Galloway, Regional Field Director of Faith & Freedom Coalition. “About 20% of all pregnancies in Georgia end in abortion, resulting in over 30,000 deaths each year. This bill will save thousands of lives each year”.

HB 481 would prohibit most abortions once a child has a human heartbeat at about 6 weeks gestation. There are exceptions for when the mother’s life or physical health is in danger, when the pregnancy is medically futile, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, in which case the current 20-week cutoff would still apply.

“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Kemp, Senator Bruce Thompson, and Representative Ed Setzler, and other pro-life members of the state legislature, the pressure from Hollywood elite to defeat this common-sense bill failed and Georgia has taken a giant leap forward in protecting innocent human life,” added Galloway.