Senate Bill 8 is referred to by its author as The Texas Heartbeat Act. State Senator Bryan Hughes’ legislation would make abortions illegal after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.
Current law bans abortions after 20 weeks. If the bill becomes law doctors that perform the procedure after a heartbeat is detected could face civil fines starting at $10,000 apiece.
“It’s hard to argue with the fact that that heartbeat…the heart is beating, blood is pumping, there’s life,” Hughes said to his fellow lawmakers as he rolled out the legislation on third reading. “That’s human life worthy of protection.”
Senate Bill 9 is referred to the “Abortion Ban Trigger” and would ban nearly all abortions in Texas if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in the US. The bill also carries the possible fine of $100,000 for doctors that perform the procedure. State Senator Angela Paxton authored the bill.
“There are two voices,” said Paxton as she made her final appeal to the Texas Senate. “The voice of the mother, and we are committed to serving that woman. But there is the voice of the unborn, and today I ask you to join me in speaking for them.”
The anti-abortion legislation has long been a priority Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. He released the following statement:
"SB 8, the Heartbeat Bill, will prohibit a physician from performing an abortion if the unborn child has a detectable heartbeat, and SB 9 will immediately outlaw abortion in Texas if Roe v. Wade is overturned or a new law is passed prohibiting abortion at the federal level. Texas is a pro-life state and this legislation reflects our continued commitment to protecting the most vulnerable. I look forward to this lifesaving legislation being signed into law.”
Dyana Limon-Mercado, the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes tweeted out the following statement:
"These bills being moved forward by Dan Patrick are part of a nationwide, extremist strategy to ban abortion. For decades, politicians have created medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care, while ignoring the health needs of Texans."
The other anti-abortion legislation passed by the Senate Tuesday includes Senate Bill 394, which would further regulate drug-induced abortion providers, Senate Bill 802 which would ensure that women seeking an abortion would be informed of the resources available to her and her child, Senate Bill 1173 which would prohibit discriminatory abortions, and Senate Bill 1647 an omnibus pro-life bill.
The legislation is now headed to the Texas House of Representatives.