US state passes bill banning abortion after first heartbeat

Brian Kemp, governor of the southern state of Georgia, is expected to sign a bill banning abortion as soon as a heartbeat is detected.

Legislators had approved the text of the abortion bill on Friday.

Abortion is one of the most politically divisive issues in the United States and many states have tried to limit access to abortions.

Georgia’s lower house approved the heartbeat bill which prohibits abortions as soon as the first heart beat of the fetus is heard – from six weeks – something that happens when most mothers still don’t know they are pregnant.

“Georgia values life. We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Kemp, a Republican, wrote in a statement congratulating legislators.

According to Planned Parenthood, the largest organization supporting abortion rights, the aim of those who promote the legislation is to reach the supreme court and reverse the right to abortion at the national level.

The US supreme court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 with its decision in Roe v. Wade., but it is restricted to states in varying degrees.

The court had ruled that a state law that banned abortions (except to save the life of the mother) was unconstitutional, thereby making abortion legal in many circumstances.

Since his assumption into office, President Donald Trump has named two justices to the supreme court who oppose abortion, leading activists who support abortion rights to fear that Roe v. Wade could be overturned.

In total, 13 US states have studied or approved versions of the “heartbeat bill” this year.

With Georgia being an important destination for film and television production, dozens of Hollywood celebrities have also vowed to fight the bill, threatening to take their business elsewhere if the law takes effect.