Geoff Duncan calls for repeal of Georgia abortion ban during Macon stop

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan called for an end to Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, a measure he now regrets supporting, during a campaign stop in Macon Monday.

The law, commonly referred to as Georgia’s “heartbeat law,” bans abortion when fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around six weeks gestation. The law is among the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the nation following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Duncan — who identified as a Republican until he switched to the Democratic Party in August 2025 — initially backed the law as it made its way through the state legislature in 2019 while he was lieutenant governor.

However, he now says the law was a mistake and called for its repeal.

“I was wrong to think that a room full of legislators knew more than millions of women,” Duncan told The Telegraph .

Duncan called on lawmakers to repeal the law, which he said created unnecessarily difficult medical struggles for women across Georgia. He also argued that the law codified a single viewpoint on a controversial issue into law.

“I would argue that no two people in Georgia have the exact same personal opinion on abortion, but none of us wake up with the right to force those opinions on others,” Duncan said. “I think that’s the flaw in the heartbeat (law), it took certain people’s opinions and forced those on other people.”

Duncan acknowledged that it may take time to muster the political will to repeal the law. In the meantime, the governor could sign an executive order clarifying that doctors can freely practice medicine without fear of prosecution, an action Duncan said he would take if elected.

The law has caused issues for medical professionals trying to care for patients and families. The most notable example came in April 2025 when a hospital in Atlanta told the family of a 30-year-old woman who had been declared brain dead that she could not be removed from life support because she was pregnant. Doctors cited fear of prosecution under Georgia’s six-week abortion ban as the reason for their decision.

Duncan said he hopes that lawmakers will understand that the law is harming people.

“My hope is that this isn’t some sort of partisan fight, that this becomes a common sense approach to what has become a serious issue,” Duncan said.