ATLANTA—Describing the law as a “common-sense measure” designed to protect reproductive health, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed a bill Tuesday that strictly prohibits all abortions except during a single 30-second window on the third day of the fourth week of pregnancy. “To be clear, this statute does not outlaw abortion per se, it merely designates a half-minute timeframe during which a woman must fill out all necessary paperwork, view a sonogram of her embryo, provide evidence of the dates of her last period, and complete the procedure terminating her pregnancy,” said a spokesperson for Kemp, stressing that no exceptions could be made for women whose 30-second window falls outside the hours of the state’s sole prenatal ultrasound tech, who works Monday to Wednesday, midnight to 6 a.m., in an unmarked building 80 miles north of Atlanta. “This law provides for the licensing of one abortion clinic, which, upon its completion in 2029, will operate in an undisclosed location in the state’s southeastern quadrant. This state-of-the-art medical facility will be staffed by highly trained law enforcement officials who will be on hand to arrest anyone who spends more than her 30 seconds under the care of a physician, at which point she will be charged with attempted murder.” Kemp later signed a second bill requiring any woman seeking an abortion to undergo two years of state-mandated counseling before the procedure is carried out.

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