Quick Georgia abortion restrictions send some patients home

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s abortion law changed so abruptly Wednesday afternoon that some patients who were in an office waiting for abortions were sent home. A federal appeals court ruled that the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade allows the law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy to take effect. Normally, the Georgia ruling wouldn’t take effect for weeks. But a second order Wednesday allowed the law to take effect immediately, meaning clinics had to scramble to determine which clients were still eligible and cancel appointments for others. Now, Georgia patients are likely to join a stream of women seeking abortions outside their home states.