From miscarriage liability to taxes, lots to sort out in Georgia’s anti-abortion law

A court decision ordering Georgia’s anti-abortion law to immediately take effect Wednesday has left a trail of uncertainty and unanswered questions in its wake.

The state’s abortion providers, who expected the law to take effect later in the summer, were left scrambling Wednesday to adjust quickly to a drastically shortened window for abortions.

The law, which narrowly passed in 2019 as HB 481, bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected – which is usually after about six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. Before Wednesday, Georgians could have an abortion up until nearly 22 weeks in some cases.