Researchers who examined arguments put forward for Georgia's so-called fetal "heartbeat" bill found supporters used misleading, unscientific language, and also demeaned the experiences of slaves, African Americans, and LGBTQIA folk by suggesting embryos face similar hardships.
Georgia House Bill 481, which passed by a small margin in 2019, bans abortions at around six weeks gestation, or the point at which embryonic cardiac activity—incorrectly known as the fetal "heartbeat"—can be detected.