Pro-life allies across the country cheered as Texas signed into law a measure that protects the rights of the preborn. The Heartbeat Act, SB 8, took effect on September 1, 2021. It requires doctors to first search for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion. If a heartbeat is found, an abortion cannot be performed unless it is a medical emergency. In most cases, a fetal heartbeat is detected as early as 6 weeks gestational age.
The legislation allows any person the ability to sue an abortionist who violates the law, or anyone who aids or abets in an abortion. It’s important to note that these civil-liability provisions do not apply to the mother who desires or is able to maintain an unlawful abortion.
Last week, a tweet that reads, “When the penalty for aborting after rape is more severe than the penalty for rape, that’s when you know it’s a war on women” went viral on social media. It received 32.8 thousand retweets and 84.5 thousand likes, even though the punishment for rape in Texas carries a punishment of up to 99 years in prison! Just like claiming women have a “constitutional right to abortion,” this tweet is blatantly false and serves to further the lie that abortion is good for women.
The propaganda does not stop there. In an ironic twist, companies based on the premise of the casual sexual encounter are against this law. Bumble and Match launched funds to cover the cost of abortions for Texas women, who now must travel out of state to do so. Sadly, many times, these online dating apps serve to perpetuate abortion and in doing so, they hurt women gravely.
Anti-life advocates do well to remember that the Heartbeat Act reflects the scientific reality that unborn children at six weeks are human beings who deserve legal protection to live. According to polling done by the Susan B. Anthony List, the majority of Americans support updating the nation’s extreme abortion laws. To add to this, the people of Texas voted in the state representatives and senators who wrote this law. If these Texans chose a majority that is pro-life, it was their desire! Anti-life advocates would make us believe that this legislation was not the will of the Texas people, but simply politicians who want to control women’s bodies. In addition, Texas has a vast network of help in the form of pregnancy care centers and the state’s $100 million Alternatives to Abortion program, which provides counseling, material assistance, care coordination, appointment scheduling, and housing support.
Eagle Forum will be tracking reports that the Biden Department of Justice will sue Texas over the Heartbeat Act and Speaker Pelosi’s plan to vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which codifies a right to abortion into law.
For a summary of the Heartbeat Act, click here.
