United States | Abortion laws in Georgia

How confusing fetal-personhood laws in America affect hospitals

In Georgia, one big hospital has interpreted state law to mean periviable babies must be kept alive

Illustration of human embryo at six weeks of gestation.
Photograph: Getty Images
|ATLANTA

Since the Supreme Court dissolved the federal right to abortion in June 2022, those who believe that life begins at conception have won big across America. In Georgia, where a six-week abortion ban swiftly snapped into effect, respect for the unborn has led to some strange policies. A pregnant woman can now declare a fetus with a detectable heartbeat a dependant on her state tax form, drive alone in the carpool lane on the motorway and demand child-support payments from the father of her unborn baby.

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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Hippocrates and hypocrisy”

From the November 25th 2023 edition

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