NewsThe Tennessee House of Representatives approved an abortion bill 93-73 on Thursday that would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.
The bill provides an exception for medical emergencies that may require an abortion. The bill also states that when the fetal heartbeat is detected, the person who discovers the heartbeat must “[r]ecord in the pregnant woman’s medical record the estimated gestational age of the fetus,” record various details of the fetal heartbeat test, and “[o]ffer to the pregnant woman, either in person or by telephone, the results of the ultrasound, including if a fetal heartbeat is detected.”
States across the US are approving similar “heartbeat bills.” A Georgia House Committee approved a similar bill on Wednesday. Two “Personhood Acts” were introduced in the South Carolina legislature earlier last month that would criminalize receiving or performing an abortion.
