Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed what is being called the “Heartbeat Bill” on Monday. The bill requires an ultrasound before an abortion and prevents abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. A heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
Additionally, the bill denies abortions based on a child’s potential for down syndrome, race, or sex.
“It’s our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our community, and certainly the most vulnerable in Tennessee includes the unborn,” said Lee.
U.S. District Judge William Campbell in Nashville quickly blocked the measure shortly after it was signed. Campbell wrote that he’s “bound by the Supreme Court holdings prohibiting undue burdens on the availability of pre-viability abortions.”
The bill almost certainly faces a long legal battle going forward such as similar bills passed in Georgia and Mississippi.
(Featured Image via WVLT)
