Abortion in Georgia

Abortion pills by mail (telehealth)

Telehealth providers that ship abortion pills into Georgia, from the clinic database:

• A Safe ChoiceShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• AbuzzShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• Aid AccessShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants – The MAPShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• Choices RisingShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• Her Safe HarborShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• Southern WovenShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia
• We Take Care of UsShips abortion pills by mail into Georgia

Protections

• The state's lawmakers have not passed protections for abortion.

Bans

• Under current law, abortion is legal to provide until fetal cardiac activity is detected, with some exceptions. This usually happens after about the first six weeks of pregnancy. This is sometimes referred to as a "heartbeat ban."
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit if it is necessary to save the pregnant person's life.
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit if it is necessary for the pregnant person's physical health (excluding mental health).
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit based on the health or status of the fetus.
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
• It is a felony for providers to violate the state's restriction on providing an abortion, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
• The state permits the pregnant person and/or family members to sue the person who provided an abortion in violation of the state's abortion restriction.
• State law prohibits healthcare professionals inside the state from providing an abortion using a specific method known as Dilation and Extraction (D&X). This is sometimes referred to as a "partial birth" abortion ban, although this term has no clinical definition.

Barriers

• The state requires a person to wait 24 hours between visits before obtaining an abortion from a provider.
• The state requires a person to make 1 in-person visits before obtaining an abortion from a provider.
• The state requires health care providers to give patients seeking abortion specific information prior to receiving abortion care. This information is often biased and inaccurate, and is intended to discourage abortion.
• The state only allows doctors to provide abortions.

Minors

• State law requires healthcare professionals inside the state to meet certain requirements before providing an abortion to minors below the age of 18.
• Before providing an abortion to a minor inside the state, the state requires an abortion provider to notify their parent or guardian.
• The state allows a judge to excuse a minor from having to notify or get consent from their parent or guardian before having an abortion inside the state. This is referred to as "judicial bypass."
• Before providing an abortion to a minor inside the state, the state requires an abortion provider to confirm the identity of their parent or guardian with a government-issued ID.

Telehealth

• The state allows healthcare professionals inside the state to provide medication abortion through telehealth only after the patient has had an in-person visit.

Insurance

• The state prohibits exchange plans from covering abortion. Exchange plans are health insurance plans offered in the state's Health Care Exchange established under the federal Affordable Care Act.
• The state allows exchange insurance plans to cover abortion only in cases where abortion is necessary to save the pregnant person's life.
• The state allows exchange insurance plans to cover abortion only in cases when there is a threat to the health of the pregnant person, which is often limited to "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."
• Medicaid funds may pay for abortion in the state in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnant person's life is endangered. This is the federal minimum requirement for Medicaid coverage of abortion.