Implications of Georgia's 20-week abortion ban

Objectives. We sought to understand more about women affected by a law enacted in January 2013 that led Georgia providers to stop providing abortion services at 24 weeks from a woman's last menstrual period (LMP), and who would be affected if Georgia enforces the law banning abortions at 22 weeks from LMP. Methods. We obtained data on women obtaining abortions at or after 20 weeks from LMP in 2012 and 2013 from 4 Georgia facilities providing later abortion care. We analyzed data descriptively and with the χ2 test. Results. More than half of the women were Black; one fourth were White. Close to half of the women had education beyond high school and a similar proportion had a previous live birth. Eighty-three percent of women at or after 24 weeks came from the South, 4% from the Northeast, and 13% from the Midwest; 99% of those at 20 to 24 weeks were from the South. One third of women at or after 24 weeks and half at 20 to 24 weeks were Georgia residents. Conclusions. These bans will likely affect women throughout the South, as well as the Midwest and Northeast. © 2015, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.