As the pro-life movement becomes more emboldened as it becomes increasingly likely the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade, Heritage Action has endorsed the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA).
"Our elected representatives both at the federal and state levels have a responsibility to protect life. Rep. Kelly’s bill is an important rallying point for conservatives heading into the next Congress and will set the baseline of how we expect our elected leaders to stand up for American values," Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action, told Townhall in a statement. "We encourage members to go on the record protecting unborn babies with heartbeats and their mothers from the abortion industry and to cosponsor this legislation."
The bill will "amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit abortion in cases where a fetal heartbeat is detectable," with exceptions for "an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, but not including psychological or emotional conditions."
The bill's text makes it clear that women will not face criminal penalties for abortions. Rather, the physician who performs the abortion will face fines, jail time of not more than five years, or both, if he or she does not check for a detectable heartbeat before performing the abortion or performs the abortion if there is a detectable heartbeat.
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In a statement for Townhall, Rep. Kelly's press secretary, Matt Knoedler, said that "Rep. Kelly thanks the team at Heritage Action for recognizing the importance of this bill and for supporting it. He looks forward to working with his colleagues in Congress to get this bill across the finish line. Together, we can protect the unborn."
To promote, vote on, and pass Rep. Kelly's bill is part of a Republican pro-life strategy in a post-Roe world, as I highlighted in my write-up of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) meeting that Townhall was exclusively invited to last month.
Presently, while they are in the minority, Republicans are looking to file discharge petitions to force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on pro-life bills.
A discharge petition has been filed for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would enforce legal protections for babies born alive from abortions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has refused to allow the bill to come up for a vote. Another bill would deal with prohibiting abortions for pain-capable unborn children. Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who was present at the meeting, spoke to Townhall about his support for Rep. Alex Mooney's Life at Conception Act, in addition to the bills mentioned above.
A Texas heartbeat law has been in effect since last September, after the Supreme Court allowed it to do so, having only been blocked briefly, as it's made its way through the courts.
Other states, including Oklahoma, have followed, with Heritage Action lending its blessing and support for such laws and other pro-life bills being considered throughout the states.
Recent years have seen a record amount of pro-life bills passed in the states, as both the pro-life and pro-abortion movements have acknowledged.
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