Politicians, groups on both sides of the aisle react to Georgia abortion ban ruling

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled to keep the state’s heartbeat law in effect, meaning pregnant Georgians may not undergo an abortion procedure once a heartbeat is detectable, with narrow exceptions.

While the state’s highest court’s own decision was narrow, with the justices sending the court case back to a lower court, politicians on both sides of the aisle, and both sides of the abortion debate, weighed in on what comes next.

Reactions ranged from in Georgia to across the country, and even from the White House.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris released a joint statement in the role of their 2024 campaign positions, “Biden for President,” seeking the nomination for the Democratic Party’s candidate.

“Today’s decision in Georgia is a direct result of Donald Trump, Brian Kemp, and MAGA Republicans’ attacks on a woman’s fundamental freedom to make her own health care decisions. As MAGA Republicans running for president champion a national abortion ban, the stakes couldn’t be higher: This election could determine whether every woman in America faces the same terrifying reality Georgians will now face.”

TRENDING STORIES:

• Babysitter sentenced to life in prison for the death of a 9-month-old in Sandy Springs, DA says

• Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis reaches plea deal in Georgia election interference case

• Georgia Supreme Court sends abortion ban case back to Fulton judge, law remains in effect

The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, a national nonprofit organization and supporters of Georgia’s heartbeat abortion ban, praised the decision.

“Today’s Georgia Supreme Court decision ensures that tens of thousands of children with beating hearts will continue to be protected from brutal abortions. It is the latest vindication of the will of Georgians, who have compassion for both babies and mothers, along with lawmakers like Governor Kemp and many others who heard them and acted,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a news release, calling the decision a “major victory for life.”

Georgia’s Republican House Speaker Jon Burns reiterated his support for the legislation, called the Living Infants and Fairness Equality Act, or LIFE Act.

“Georgia defends the sanctity of life and today’s ruling upholds our commitment to this noble goal. I appreciate all those who supported the LIFE Act and continue to support families in our great state,” Burns said in a statement.

Likewise, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot “We are pleased with the court’s decision and will continue to defend the constitutionality of Georgia’s LIFE Act.”

On the other side of the political aisle in Georgia, U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said the ruling is a “direct result of Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans’ unrelenting assault on Georgians’ reproductive freedom.”

“At every turn, despite knowing his draconian abortion ban is extreme, dangerous, and out of touch, Kemp and his Republican allies have fought tooth and nail to enact it anyway. Kemp’s abortion ban may stand for now, but Georgia Democrats are not resting in the fight to protect abortion access. Come 2024, we’ll fight to keep anti-abortion extremists out of both the White House and the statehouse and work to codify protections for reproductive freedom into federal law. Today’s ruling is a blow to Georgians and to reproductive freedom, but the fight continues.”

Sen. Jon Ossoff also reacted to the ban being upheld, pending further litigation, saying it was one of the most extreme abortion bans in the nation and that it stripped women of their autonomy in the most personal health decisions.

“More than half of Georgia counties have no OB/GYN, and we have one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country,” Ossoff said in a statement. “Georgia’s extreme abortion ban risks worsening our state’s women’s health crisis.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS: