Democratic contender for Georgia governor, Stacey Abrams declared Tuesday that “there is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks.” While speaking to a crowd in Atlanta, the rabidly pro-abortion candidate called the fetal heartbeat “a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body away from her.” (RELATED: Georgia Democrat Gubernatorial Challenger Reveals Radical Abortion Stance)
The state of Georgia grabbed national headlines this summer after a federal court ruled in favor of a state law that prevents abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. It has since served as a hotspot for extremists like Abrams who look to reverse course through extreme abortion access for residents of the southern state. The Democratic candidate runs for governor on a platform of “reproductive freedom” that includes the promise to work towards repeal of the six-week protection and to cut funding for crisis pregnancy centers.
Abrams’ assertion drew ire from many on the right, including Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain. “Hearing my babies heartbeats at 6 weeks is hands down one of the most exciting, liberating and most beautiful moments of my entire life,” McCain tweeted in response. “Stacey Abrams is a very sick person to say this and somehow accuse doctors of faking fetal heartbeats,” said McCain.
Sportscaster Michele Tafoya likewise called Abrams out for the apparent lack of empathy her comments represent for those who’ve experienced miscarriage. “When my (male) doctors told me they could no longer hear my baby’s heartbeat… as I lost pregnancy after pregnancy… Was that fake, too? Did they manufacture the absence of my baby’s heartbeat in order to force me to terminate the pregnancy?” (RELATED: Stacey Abrams Calls for Reinforcements in Wake of New Poll)
Still, others sought to address the unscientific nature of Abrams’ claims. OBGYN doctor and currently sitting U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (Kan.) described her claim as “factually incorrect.” “There’s no man behind the curtain. Babies have a real heartbeat at six weeks.” The doctor and senator queried further, “Why do radical Dems hate unborn babies?”
In the background of the ongoing abortion debate, Planned Parenthood quietly made changes to its fact sheet on fetal development, conveniently matching Abram’s controversial statement this week. A previous version of the website stated that during weeks 5 and 6 of pregnancy “a very basic beating heart and circulatory system develop.” The same webpage now says this stage of development boasts only “cardiac activity” that only “sounds like a heartbeat on an ultrasound” but is “not a fully-formed heart.”
While Abrams’ and Planned Parenthood’s assertions conveniently match the latest pro-abortion talking points, they fail to reflect long-held scientific positions on fetal heartbeats. According to the American Pregnancy Association’s website, a fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as 5 ½ to 6 ½ weeks gestation. A thread of resources compiled by “Secular Pro-Life” on its Twitter feed provides further evidence of widely understood views within the scientific community in regards to the start of a baby’s heartbeat.
We can change the language. We can change the talking points. And in time, we’ll likely change the science to make abortion all the more acceptable.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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