Congressman Steve King.
Iowa Congressman Steve King is introducing legislation he says would go a long way toward eliminating abortion nationwide.
King, a Republican from Kiron, is calling it “The Heartbeat Bill,” and under it, abortions would be banned once a heartbeat is detected in the unborn child.
King says, “It requires any physician that’s planning to conduct an abortion has to check for a heartbeat and maintain records of the checking for that heartbeat.” King suggests the bill could be a vehicle to overturn Roe versus Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case which made abortion legal.
“If a heatbeat is detected, the baby is protected,” King says. “There’s no penalty against the mother for seeking or having an abortion.” While the woman would be immune from prosecution, King says the doctor would face jail time.
“There is up to a five-year penalty for the provider if they violate the terms of this bill,” King says. “The heartbeat can be detected as early as 16 days.” King says he has support from several other lawmakers in the House for the bill, The Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017.
In a statement, King says: “Since Roe v. Wade was unconstitutionally decided in 1973, nearly 60 million innocent babies’ lives have been ended by the abortion industry, all with a rubber stamp by the federal government. Human life, beginning at the moment of conception, is sacred in all of its forms and today, I introduced a bill that will protect the lives of voiceless innocents.”
(Thanks to Karla James, Omaha?Photo courtesy of Congressman King’s website)