The Alabama House of Representatives plans to reintroduce the pro-life ‘Heartbeat Bill,’ which, according to LifeSiteNews, “would make committing an abortion against a baby after his/her heartbeat is detected a Class C felony” and would make it a crime “to fail to try to detect the baby’s heartbeat, unless the mother’s life was in danger.”
This is the third time such a bill has been introduced by the Alabama House. The bill died twice once it reached the state senate. This time, however, the bill will have a senate sponsor, Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa). Even so, the bill is not without controversy, even among ardent pro-lifers. LifeSiteNews reports:
Some pro-lifers oppose the Heartbill Bill and similar legislation because they fear the inevitable legal challenge could lead to the U.S. Supreme Court strengthening Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the infamous dual-ruling which made abortion legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
According to Janet Porter of Faith2Action, the woman behind the Heartbeat Bill, the original bill was introduced in Ohio but was blocked by Governor John Kasich, who is currently a Republican candidate for President. Porter, who was at one time a spokesperson for Kasich, says:
“If you want to know why the pro-life Heartbeat Bill hasn’t passed in Ohio yet, look no further than Governor John Kasich, who claims to be pro-life, but is blocking the most protective pro-life bill to ever pass the Ohio House of Representatives.”…
Porter told LifeSiteNews that the Heartbeat Bill would save 20,000 lives each year in Ohio alone.
“You can’t block a bill like this and call yourself pro-life,” added Porter. “To the pro-life voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina: John Kasich is NOT your man.”
Interestingly, the Times Daily notes that “opponents of the legislation said it could ban abortions before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.” This is perhaps an indirect admission by abortion advocates that the preborn heart begins beating very early in human development, at 20-21 days gestation (3 weeks post-fertilization).
The Heartbeat Bill would not apply to ectopic pregnancies, in which an embryo grows outside the uterus, or in cases where a preborn child has a condition likely to result in stillbirth or in death within three months of birth.
