While some progressive states are pushing extreme abortion laws fearing that Roe v. Wade may be overturned, other states are moving in the opposite direction. Heartbeat bills are picking up steam in at least 10 states, FoxNews.com reports.
Last week, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said he looked forward to signing a heartbeat bill that state legislators passed it Wednesday.
I’ve often said I want Mississippi to be the safest place for an unborn child in America. I appreciate the leadership of the MS House and Senate, along with members of the Legislature, for passing the fetal heartbeat bills today. I look forward to signing this act upon passage.
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) February 13, 2019
Kentucky followed suit on Thursday, while state legislators in Texas are also looking to advance a similar measure soon.
Last week alone,
— Live Action (@LiveAction) February 18, 2019
Mississippi & Kentucky - Banning abortion after a baby's heartbeat can be detected on ultrasound
Utah - Banning abortion of children with Down syndrome
Kentucky - Constitutional protections to babies when Roe is overturned
LIFE is winning!
As both sides of the abortion debate are preparing for the possibility -- however remote -- of Roe v. Wade being overturned, at least 10 states are currently considering or have passed "heartbeat bills," which prohibit an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks of gestation or as late as 12 weeks. […]
Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississipi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia are among the states that have either passed "heartbeat" legislation or are hoping to do so. This comes as states like New York, New Mexico, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia, among other Democratic-leaning states, are supporting bills that allow abortion up to the moment of birth. (FoxNews.com)
Similar measures have not withstood court challenges in the past, however, so it's unclear whether these efforts will be any different.