CBS News
Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban while appeal is underway
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday restored the state’s six-week abortion ban, halting a judge’s ruling a week ago that the six-week ban is unconstitutional and abortions could continue past six weeks.
The six-week ban will remain in place while Georgia’s highest court considers the state’s appeal.
That means that for now, abortions will not be allowed in Georgia beyond six weeks of pregnancy, often before many women are aware that they’re pregnant.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a law went into effect in Georgia prohibiting most abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is typically around six weeks. The abortion debate has been working its way through Georgia courts ever since.
Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, in striking down the six-week ban, wrote in his order that while “the State’s interest in protecting ‘unborn’ life is compelling, until that life can be sustained by the State … the balance of rights favors the woman.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the Republican who signed the six-week ban, issued a statement following McBurney’s ruling, saying, “Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives has been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge. Protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us is one of our most sacred responsibilities, and Georgia will continue to be a place where we fight for the lives of the unborn.”
One person died and several others were injured Thursday when a chemical was released at a Houston-area industrial plant, a Texas sheriff said.
Authorities warned nearby residents to stay inside and close doors and windows.
One of the people injured was transported to a hospital by a helicopter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on the social platform X. City officials in Pasadena, a Houston suburb, told residents on social media that hydrogen sulfide had been released at a Pemex facility.
Television news crews showed multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene.
Gonzalez said preliminary information indicated it was a “chemical release” but did not elaborate.
In a statement obtained by CBS affiliate KHOU, Pemex said that the release was first reported at 4:40 p.m. local time at one of its “operating units.”
“The incident is contained to our site and has been isolated,” the statement read. The company added that personnel from several government agencies had responded.
The plant is located in the suburb of Deer Park, where city officials issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents “out of precaution.”
In a post to social media late Thursday night, the Deer Park Office of Emergency Management said that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted. It said that Harris County agencies were “reporting no hazardous chemicals within the community.”
Houston is the nation’s petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
