Heartbeat bill could outlaw abortion six weeks into pregnancy

The Texas heartbeat bill that would outlaw abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected is gaining traction in the Texas legislature. Within a week of being filed on Feb. 7, House Bill 1500 had 39 co-sponsors. By Tuesday, it had 52.

“The Texas heartbeat bill ensures that unborn children exhibiting a heartbeat are protected from the cruel practice of abortion,” said Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, in a statement to The Daily Texan. “Put simply, if the heartbeat is detected, the baby is protected.”

Versions of the heartbeat bill have been filed every session since 2013, and while the bill hasn’t been assigned to committee, Cain said this year is more promising.

“2019 is the year of the heartbeat bill,” Cain said. “Eleven states have filed heartbeat bills in 2019. I’m humbled to see the growing wave of support this and other heartbeat bills are receiving across our state and nation.”

Read more: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2019/02/26/heartbeat-bill-could-outlaw-abortion-six-weeks-into-pregnancy