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Cheers erupted as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the "heartbeat" abortion bill. USA TODAY

WASHINGTON Progressives heavily criticized the signing of a Georgia bill that would make it illegal to receive an abortion after a heartbeat was detected in the womb, about six weeks into a pregnancy. Georgia lawmakers had passed the bill in April, but it did not become law until Governor Brian Kemp signed it on Monday.

The bill, which does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2020, will one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the country. Current Georgia state law allows abortions up until the 20th week of pregnancy.

Progressives slammed the bill on social media.

"Most of the men writing these bills don't know the first thing about a woman's body outside of the things they want from it. It's relatively common for a woman to have a late period + not be pregnant," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter.

"This is a backdoor ban,"she continued, arguing that a potential abortion ban at six weeks of pregnancy would be equivalent to being two weeks late on a period meaning that "this law ignores basic biology."

Hillary Clinton also weighed in, saying that "six-week abortion bans are effectively total bans on abortion, as many women don't know they are pregnant at six weeks."

Democrats and abortion rights activists are likely to challenge the bill in court, challenging it on grounds that it violates Roe v. Wade.

State Rep. Ed Setzler, a Republican from the Atlanta suburbs who authored the bill, said the law is about protecting the human rightsof unborn children.

"This bill is scientifically sound, legally sound, it passes the common sense test," Setzler said Tuesday.

Contributing:Nicquel Terry Ellis

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