Obama judge blocks state's 'heartbeat' abortion ban

An Obama-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked a law Tuesday signed by Georgia's Republican governor that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually is at least six weeks.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights, which sued in June on behalf of abortion providers, the Washington Examiner reported.

The law was to take effect Jan. 1.

Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said that in a state "with a critical shortage of medical providers and some of the highest rates of maternal and infant deaths, especially among black Georgians, politicians should focus on expanding access to reproductive care, not banning abortion before someone even knows they’re pregnant."

The law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in May would make exceptions in cases of rape or incest, or if the mother's life was at risk.

Georgia's governor is one of nine who has signed a fetal heartbeat bill into law.

Governors of Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota and Ohio also have signed a heartbeat bill. But only Alabama's is scheduled to go into law, Nov. 16.

Along with Georgia, federal courts have temporarily blocked laws in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio.

A federal court struck down laws in Arkansas and North Dakota. And a state court struck down Iowa's law.