---
title: HB 1313. Crimes and offenses; certain legal action protections for healthcare professionals administering medical treatment to pregnant women; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1313
cite_as: HB 1313, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1313
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1313.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1313/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73201
date: 2026-02-18
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1313.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1313
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-12
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Stacey Evans
- Tanya Miller
- Shea Roberts
- Jasmine Clark
- Park Cannon
- Michelle Au
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1313/2025
upstream_id: 2116236
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- abortion law
- reproductive health
- medical licensing
- law enforcement
- feticide law
---
# HB 1313. Crimes and offenses; certain legal action protections for healthcare professionals administering medical treatment to pregnant women; provide
## Text
House Bill 1313
By: Representatives Evans of the 57th, Miller of the 62nd, Roberts of the 52nd, Clark of the
108th, Cannon of the 58th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and
offenses, so as to provide for certain legal action protections for healthcare professionals
administering medical treatment to pregnant women; to amend Code Section 43-34-8 of the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to authority to refuse license, certificate, or
permit or issue discipline, suspension, restoration, investigations, hearings on fitness,
immunity, and publication of final disciplinary actions, so as to provide for clarification
regarding what defines "unprofessional conduct" pursuant to certain medical care licensing
provisions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and offenses, is
amended by revising subsection (b) of and adding a new subsection to Code Section 16-5-80,
relating to feticide, voluntary manslaughter of an unborn child, and penalties, to read as
follows:
"(b) A person commits the offense of feticide if he or she willfully and without legal
justification causes the death of an unborn child by any injury to the mother of such child,
which would be murder if it resulted in the death of such mother, or if he or she, when in
the commission of a felony, causes the death of an unborn child; however, no state or local
law enforcement agency shall arrest any individual for performing or aiding in the
performance of an abortion in this state, or administering treatment that may lead to an
abortion, if the abortion is performed in accordance within the provisions of Code Section
16-12-141."
"(c.1) Notwithstanding any other law, an individual shall not be subject to investigation,
civil or criminal penalty, or otherwise deprived of their rights under this article based on
their actions or omissions with respect to a pregnancy or an actual, potential, or alleged
pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, abortion, or
perinatal death due to causes that occurred in utero."
SECTION 2.
Said title is further amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (h) of Code Section
16-12-141, relating to restrictions on the performance of abortions, availability of records,
civil cause of action, and affirmative defenses, as follows:
"(1) A licensed physician provides medical treatment to a pregnant woman which results
in the accidental or unintentional injury to or death of an unborn child, or for performing
or aiding in the performance of an abortion in this state, or administering treatment that
may lead to an abortion, to avert her death or for which a delay will create serious risk
of substantial or irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant
woman or death of the unborn child;"
SECTION 3.
Code Section 43-34-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to authority to
refuse license, certificate, or permit or issue discipline, suspension, restoration,
investigations, hearings on fitness, immunity, and publication of final disciplinary actions,
is amended by revising paragraph (8) of subsection (a) as follows:
"(8) Performed, procured, or aided or abetted in performing or procuring a criminal
abortion that is in violation of the provisions pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (h)
of Code Section 16-12-141;"
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1313 would bar Georgia law enforcement from arresting people for performing or helping with an abortion or related medical treatment allowed under existing law, and would shield people from legal penalties over pregnancy outcomes like miscarriage or stillbirth.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's feticide law (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-80) currently makes it a crime to cause the death of an unborn child through certain acts. This bill adds language saying no state or local law enforcement agency may arrest someone for performing or aiding an abortion, or giving treatment that might lead to one, as long as it follows the rules in Georgia's abortion law (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-141). It also adds a new provision saying people cannot be investigated or penalized, criminally or civilly, over pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, abortion, or a fetal death that happened in the womb.
The bill also updates the affirmative defense available to licensed physicians in the abortion law, clarifying that doctors are protected when treating a pregnant woman results in accidental injury or death to an unborn child, or when they perform or assist an abortion to save the woman's life or avoid serious, irreversible harm to her. Finally, it narrows what counts as 'unprofessional conduct' for medical licensing purposes (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-8), so only abortions that actually violate the affirmative-defense rules in § 16-12-141 count against a medical license.
### What it does
- Adds language to Georgia's feticide law barring police from arresting anyone for performing or aiding an abortion, or treatment that may lead to one, if it follows the rules in O.C.G.A. § 16-12-141.
- Creates a new legal shield (subsection (c.1)) protecting individuals from investigation or criminal or civil penalty over pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, abortion, or in-utero fetal death.
- Expands the affirmative defense in Georgia's abortion law so physicians are protected for performing or aiding an abortion to save the pregnant woman's life or avoid serious, irreversible harm to her.
- Narrows the definition of 'unprofessional conduct' for medical licensing so only abortions that actually violate the affirmative-defense standard in § 16-12-141 can trigger discipline against a doctor's license.
### Who it affects
Pregnant women, doctors and other healthcare professionals who provide pregnancy-related or abortion care, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the state medical licensing board (which oversees physician discipline under O.C.G.A. § 43-34-8) are all directly affected by this bill's changes.
### Why it matters
If enacted, doctors treating pregnant patients and people involved in abortion care that complies with existing law would face reduced risk of arrest, prosecution, or losing their medical license. People who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, or other pregnancy loss would also gain explicit legal protection from being investigated or penalized over the outcome.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends the feticide statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-80) to bar arrests for abortions or related treatment performed in accordance with § 16-12-141.
- Section 1 also adds subsection (c.1), shielding individuals from investigation or civil or criminal penalty over pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, abortion, or perinatal death occurring in utero.
- Section 2 revises the affirmative defense in § 16-12-141(h)(1) to cover physicians who perform or aid an abortion to avert the pregnant woman's death or avoid serious, irreversible harm to her.
- Section 3 amends the medical licensing statute (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-8) so that only abortions violating the § 16-12-141(h)(1) standard count as unprofessional conduct.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-12)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-18)
- Sponsors: Stacey Evans, Tanya Miller, Shea Roberts, Jasmine Clark, Park Cannon, Michelle Au
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73201
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1313.md?full=1