MACON, Ga. — After an intense debate, the Georgia House of Representatives passed the "heartbeat" bill just before midnight Thursday.
Republicans like Houston County State Representative Heath Clark called it a victory for the unborn.
"I believe that we must do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable among us," he said. "We need to speak up and defend life."
The bill makes abortions illegal as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detectable. That's usually around six weeks into a pregnancy.
Currently, women in Georgia can get an abortion up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
State Representative Miriam Paris, a Macon Democrat, argued that restriction violates a woman's right to choose.
"It infringes upon the rights of human beings, women in particular, to make the kind of choices [that should be] natural rights for us... to make our own decisions as to what's going to go on with our bodies," she said.
The bill still needs to pass the state senate before making it to Governor Brian Kemp's desk.
But even if it is signed into law, Mercer Law School professor David Oedel says it will likely faces court challenges from federal supreme court precedent like the landmark Roe vs Wade ruling.
"The legislation that's been coming out of the Gold Dome is probably unconstitutional as we understand our present Supreme Court precedents," said Oedel.
But he says that might be on purpose, as part of an effort to force the United States Supreme Court and its newly appointed conservative justices to re-examine abortion law.
"What they're trying to do is tee up the question for the Supreme Court," said Oedel.
Governor Brian Kemp has thrown his support behind the bill.
He promised to push for stronger abortion laws during his campaign.