Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law what many are saying is the nation’s strongest pro-life legislation - the Texas Heartbeat Act (SB 8) that prohibits abortions after the detection of the child’s heartbeat. Members of the Texas Values team (pictured below) attended this morning's bill signing at the Texas Capitol.
In response to federal courts blocking other states’ heartbeat bills, Texas carefully crafted a heartbeat bill that makes it nearly impossible for the courts to stop. Notably, this bill withstands the usual claims of constitutional violation because the state is not the one who will enforce it. Instead, SB 8 creates a civil liability for a person who performs, aids, or abets in an abortion after a heartbeat is detected and empowers citizens to file civil actions to enforce it. Senator Bryan Hughes and Representative Shelby Slawson led the effort to pass the new law.
“The Texas Heartbeat law is very simple, if a heartbeat is detected, the baby must be protected. We are proud that Texas, Gov. Abbott, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are leading the way with the strongest heartbeat law in the country. SB8 is designed to withstand the usual legal challenges and will protect babies in the womb from abortion,” said Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney for Texas Values.
“We want to thank Gov. Abbott and the Legislature for taking such a strong stance to protect the lives of preborn Texans,” said Mary Elizabeth Castle, Policy Advisor at Texas Values.
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A heartbeat is a key and universal indicator of whether life exists. This law requires physicians to check for a baby’s heartbeat and inform the mother if the presence of a heartbeat is detected, which is often estimated to be about 6 weeks. Once a heartbeat is detected, the doctor must take all necessary steps to protect the life of the child.
Because of your continued support, Texas Values team members have been involved in the passage of every significant Texas pro-life law since 2007. With less than 2 weeks left in the 2021 Texas Legislative Session, our team is still working overtime to ensure religious freedom, marriage & family, and life are protected across Texas.
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