Texas Anti-Abortion ‘Heartbeat’ Bill Signed By Over 50 Lawmakers
The proposed bill could move towards passing the Republican-controlled legislature.
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More than 50 lawmakers have signed Texas the 'anti-abortion' bill aimed at banning the practice in the state if there is a heartbeat detected in the unborn baby, according to reports.
The news suggests that the bill could move towards passing the Republican-controlled legislature.
The bill (PDF) would effectively outlaw abortion under felony charges if a doctor detects a heartbeat in the fetus, or does not check if there is a heartbeat.
Heartbeats in unborn babies are found as early as the sixth week of pregnancy and as soon as four weeks after conception.
But the proposed bill does, however, make an exception for abortions performed for medical emergencies in most cases.
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“It ensures that unborn Texans exhibiting a heartbeat will be protected from an abortion,” said state Rep. Briscoe Cain, who introduced the bill on Feb. 7.
“Texas should be the safest place in America for the unborn!”
56 Republicans representatives joined him, holding an 87–63 majority in the State House and 19–12 majority in the state Senate.
But the bill was criticized by abortion advocates who claim it is an effort to ban abortion altogether.
According to AP news:
Texas health statistics provided by the state show about 80 percent of abortions happen in the first trimester, although data posted online by the Department of State Health Services offers little detail about when women undergo abortions before six weeks gestation.
Texas has already been beaten by Mississippi, which passed a similar bill.
Phil Bryant has promised to sign it into law.
Eight other states also have similar bills underway.
The bills, including Mississippi and Texas, are expected to be ruled unconstitutional by federal courts following the precedent set by the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which weakened state's powers to reduce abortion.
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But Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both conservative justices appointed by Presdient Donald Trump, states may attempt to escalate legal challenges to abortion constraints to the Supreme Court, hoping that the 5–4 conservative majority bench will reconsider Roe v. Wade.
According to a report in January from Breitbart:
Senate Democrats failed to protect babies from infanticide after being born alive following botched abortions.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, S. 311, failed, 53-44, with the requirement of a 60-vote supermajority for approval and only Democrats voting against it.
In January, Democratic lawmakers signed a new bill into law legalizing abortions being performed right up until birth.
The Reproductive Health Act passed in a 38-24 vote and was signed into law by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
Another similar law was proposed by Virginia state Democrats last month in which Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam suggested that parents should have the right to have their baby killed even after delivery.
But Americans seem to have stepped away from supporting abortion according to a new poll by Marist.
Almost half of all Americans consider themselves "pro-life" and oppose abortion.
The poll suggests that 47 percent of Americans identify as "pro-life" and 47 percent "pro-choice."
The dramatic shift was led by Democrats and those under 45 years old, according to a survey taken Feb.12-17 following recent reports of states legalizing abortion up until birth.
