The US state of Georgia bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

MADRID, 21 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Georgia has banned abortion from six weeks of pregnancy on Wednesday after an appeals court approved a law that had been blocked in 2019 and that can now enter into force after the annulment of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The US high court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that first recognized women's right to unrestricted abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, a legal precedent that has been used in the country since 1973.

In this regard, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court ruling that blocked the statute's definition of a person, allowing embryos and fetuses to be defined as "persons" under Georgia law, just as The newspaper 'The Wall Street Journal' has reported.

The law bans most abortions after "a detectable human heartbeat," with exceptions for medical emergencies, cases of rape and incest that have been reported to police, and if a fetus is determined to be medically nonviable.

Georgia thus joins a growing number of states that ban or restrict abortions in the North American country. Many of the laws have come into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, returning the question of the legality of abortion to the states.

The 11th Circuit Court has stressed that "it is clear that there is no right to abortion in the Constitution, so Georgia can prohibit them."

The court issued a stay of the injunction of the law issued by the lower court, allowing its immediate application.

Abortion rights groups have called the move "very unorthodox" and have said they would continue to push to expand abortion access in Georgia.

"This cruel abortion ban would deny our patients the right to make decisions about their own pregnancies, bodies and futures," Kwajelyn J. Jackson, executive director of the Feminist Women's Health Center, said in a statement.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has indicated that the Court of Appeals' decision "affirms our promise to protect life at all stages." The Republican is seeking re-election in November, when he will face Democrat Stacey Abrams who has called Georgia's 2019 law draconian.

"When I am elected as the next governor of Georgia, I will lead the fight to repeal this law and return power to women," Abrams said.

Kemp signed the law at a time when several conservative-led states passed similar six-week abortion bans, dubbed "beat bills" by his supporters. At the time, the legislation faced opposition from actors, filmmakers and screenwriters who are part of the state's growing film and television industry.