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HB441 • 2025

Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act; enact

Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act; enact

Children
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Dunahoo, Emory
Last action
2025-02-19
Official status
House Second Readers
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text lists many purposes but does not provide the specific details or definitions for terms like 'construction,' 'exceptions,' or 'legislative findings.'

Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act

This bill creates a coercion defense for mothers charged with murdering their unborn children, removes exceptions allowing assault charges against an unborn child, and allows families to seek recovery for the loss of a life starting at fertilization.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides a legal defense called 'coercion' for defendant mothers who are charged with murder regarding their own unborn children.
  • Removes exceptions in current law that allow for charges of assault and battery on an unborn child.
  • Updates the state code to give families the right to seek recovery for the life of a child beginning at the stage of fertilization.
  • Gives both the Attorney General and local prosecuting attorneys authority to handle these specific cases together.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Mothers who are charged with crimes involving their unborn children
  • Prosecutors, including the state Attorney General and county prosecutors
  • Families seeking legal recovery for the loss of a child or unborn child

Limits and Unknowns

  • The official text does not specify when this law will officially take effect.
  • The summary mentions provisions for construction and exceptions but does not explain exactly what those specific rules are.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-19 Georgia General Assembly

    House Second Readers

Official Summary Text

Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act; enact