By: Melanie Barden
Thursday—the Texas Senate gave final approval for a controversial bill known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”
“It’s a bill that would protect unborn children in the womb from abortion beginning when the heartbeat is detected which is around 6 weeks,” says Joe Pojman with the Texas Alliance for Life.
Pojman says the bill is a novel concept—not just for Texas but the entire country.
There are no criminal penalties for performing abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
But it gives people the right to sue or file civil litigation against physicians who perform the procedure after that time frame.
Critics say the time frame isn’t long enough– as some women don’t know they’re pregnant that early on.
“I think the authors of the bill would argue the unborn child is still a person regardless of whether the mother knows the unborn child or not,” says Pojman.
The final bill includes several amendments including in situations of rape and incest—the person who impregnates someone cannot sue a doctor.
Amendments also specify doctors’ rights to defend their practice decisions in court.
The bill is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk where he’s signaled he’ll sign it in the coming days.
However, legal challenges are expected.