ATLANTA (AP) - Gov. Nathan Deal has signed legislation that would ban abortions five months after conception.

The bill makes exceptions for pregnancies that threaten the life or health of the mother. Doctors could also perform an abortion after five months if they diagnose the fetus with a fatal defect.

The measure passed in the waning hours of the 2012 Legislature, over the objection of many female lawmakers.

Georgia becomes one of several states to pass a version of the so-called "fetal pain act," including Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Idaho, Indiana and Oklahoma.

The proposals depart from the standards established by the U.S. Supreme Court which allow states to limit abortions when there's a reasonable chance the fetus could survive outside of the womb, generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks.