South Fulton Today

A trial in a case set to determine if the state can legally continue to ban abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy has begun in an Atlanta courtroom this week.

According to a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney has scheduled two days of testimony in the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as the plaintiffs seek to strike down the law on the grounds it violates the Georgia Constitution’s right to privacy and liberty by "forcing pregnancy and childbirth upon countless Georgians,” FOX 5 reports.

"It means they either have to forcibly remain pregnant or find a way to get out of state to go to a state that provides more access," Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Susan Lambiase told FOX 5 Atlanta.

This comes as advocates argue women are being harmed every day the law remains in place, with the state attorney general’s office adding in a court filing that Georgia’s privacy protections do not extend to abortion because it affects another "human life."

According to the report, currently, the state's law bans most abortions once a "detectable human heartbeat" is present. Cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound in cells within an embryo that will eventually become the heart as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, essentially meaning most abortions in the state are effectively outlawed at a point before many women know they are pregnant.