Abortion Laws in Georgia

Georgia>State Law and Reproductive Freedom

Georgia bans abortion after about six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant.

Explore Abortion Finder and our Resources for Accessing Abortion Care for more information.

Georgia’s Abortion Ban 

Since July 20, 2022, Georgia law criminalizes abortion providers. A study from RISE estimates that Georgia’s abortion ban likely blocks nearly 90% of abortions in the state.

Abortion bans led to the preventable deaths of two Georgia mothers—Amber Nicole Thurman and Candy Miller. Their stories underscore the horrific consequences of Georgia’s abortion bans. Researchers warn these known deaths are only the “tip of the iceberg,” with many more near misses, emergency complications, and traumatic delays occurring across the state.

Georgia’s reproductive health landscape is marked by high maternal mortality, provider shortages, restricted insurance access, and systemic inequities.

Those most affected include women, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, low-income, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, young people, rural communities, and people with disabilities.

Dangerous Delays in Care for Pregnant Patients in Georgia

“Exceptions often resulted in further harms to the well-being of the pregnant person and of providers.”

• Georgia law includes narrow exceptions when a pregnant person’s life or health is at risk.
• In practice, these exceptions do not guarantee timely care because legal penalties for providers are severe and guidance is unclear. Clinicians often delay care while seeking legal review, putting patients at additional risk.
• Mandatory state counseling often includes medically inaccurate or misleading information.
• Georgia’s mandatory 24-hour waiting period between the first visit and abortion increases travel and financial burdens.
• Young people must provide parental notice, and while judicial bypass exists, it is complex and difficult to navigate without legal support.
• A recent study by Amplify Georgia Collaborative and Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) found that Georgia’s current law does not ensure access to essential medical care for those experiencing pregnancy loss, sexual assault, or emergency situations in pregnancy; and that the specified exceptions actually resulted in further harm to patients and providers

Georgia’s Maternal Mortality

Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is 2X higher than the national average

Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the United States, with approximately 66.3 deaths per 100,000 live births—more than 2x the national average. Racial and geographic disparities are stark: Black women in rural Georgia die from pregnancy-related causes at roughly double the rate of rural white women, highlighting the impact of systemic racism and lack of access to care.

Pregnancy-related deaths are preventable in many cases, but delayed or inaccessible care contributes significantly to these outcomes. Rural areas face particular challenges due to limited health care infrastructure.

Despite Georgia’s grim maternal mortality rate, its committee in charge of investigating the deaths of pregnant women has been reshaped in ways that raise serious concerns.

Georgia’s Health Care Access & Provider Shortages

52% of Georgia’s counties has no OB-GYN physician

Georgia faces severe shortages of reproductive health providers, particularly outside metropolitan areas.

Many pregnant people must travel long distances for prenatal care, labor and delivery, or emergency pregnancy care. These shortages contribute to inequities in care and poor maternal outcomes, with rural communities disproportionately affected.

The State of Health Insurance & Coverage in Georgia

Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia Republicans have failed to expand Medicaid for years. Then in 2025, Republican lawmakers in Congress, including Georgia U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, knowingly voted to take lifesaving health care away from over 10 million Americans across the country, severely cutting funding for Medicaid and “defunding” Planned Parenthood.

Funding So-Called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (Anti-Abortion Clinics) in Georgia

$20 million taxpayer dollars has funded anti-abortion clinics

• Georgia has 85+ anti-abortion centers (AACs)—also called “crisis pregnancy centers”—fake health care clinics that provide virtually no medical care and often give misleading or false information.
• State-funded anti-abortion centers are even more harmful than privately funded centers, as they receive taxpayer dollars yet still do not provide abortion care or follow national medical standards.
• Since the program’s creation in 2016, Georgia has allocated roughly $2 million annually, totaling close to $20 million in taxpayer funding over the last 10 years, to these centers.

TRUSTED INFORMATION

• Get confidential and medically accurate information on reproductive health care in Georgia
• Advocate for change when you get involved with the Fake Clinics Suck campaign and Reproductive Freedom for All Georgia