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GA gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, is facing strong criticism on social media after saying that “there is no such thing” as a fetal heartbeat at six weeks of pregnancy, and that doctors “manufactured” the sound as an anti-abortion argument.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when the Supreme Court remanded the decision on abortion limits back to state legislatures, several states passed bills known as “heartbeat laws,” which prohibit termination of pregnancy once doctors identify a heartbeat as indicative of human life. Georgia is one of the states that passed a heartbeat law.
A video resurfaced on Twitter in which the Democratic candidate addresses the audience in what appears to be an abortion debate. Abrams, a pro-abortion extremist who favors termination of pregnancy without time limit, told the audience that the heartbeat argument is a way to “take control” of the female body.
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams: "There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body."
REMINDER: Abrams supports NO LIMITS on abortion. pic.twitter.com/f7XxeqzfF6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 22, 2022
“There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks,” Abrams stated. “It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”
It appears that the Democratic hopeful did not come up with that argument herself, but may be paraphrasing the explanations of pro-abortion doctors who seek to dismiss the heartbeat laws. One of them is Nisha Verma, an OB/GYN dedicated to abortion, who argues that what is heard at six weeks is not the beating of a heart, but “electrical activity” detected as that organ begins to develop.
However, there is a medical consensus on the detection of the fetal pulse or heart rate of the fetus, which begins to be identifiable after the fifth week, when the heart begins to develop.
Although the heart is not fully formed by the sixth week, the fetal heart rate is often an indicator not only of the formation of the vital organ, but also of the viability of the pregnancy.
Even the leftist organization Planned Parenthood, which has historically promoted abortion, indicates on its website that the embryo begins to show heart activity as early as the fifth or sixth week.
The heartbeat laws are written on the basis of the fetal heart rate. The Texas one, for example, states that “a physician may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman if the physician detected a fetal heartbeat for the unborn child”
Abrams: idiot or liar?
The comments on Twitter involve a real debate. Some users suggest that Abrams’ claim is “evil,” while others point to how “gullable” her followers can be.
Such is the case with Arizona GOP chair, family doctor Kelli Ward, who referred to Abrams as “a total idiot or a liar (or both).”
She’s pure EVIL
— mgr_shepard (@michrienzo70) September 22, 2022
One user even offered Abrams a video of her grandson’s ultrasound as evidence.
I can send her a video of my daughters heartbeat at 5 weeks old.
— MAGA (Hi FBI) RULES (@k_TAP_g) September 22, 2022
Most users responded with a variety of sources indicating that Abrams is wrong.
According to 2 sources on Google, she is incorrect. pic.twitter.com/nQOUfPEMXx
— Ty the Typo Affishianado🏴☠️ (@Ty_in_TX) September 22, 2022
— Ornery_Patriot (@Ornery_Patriot) September 22, 2022
Hearing a baby’s heartbeat for the first time is an exciting milestone for new parents-to-be.
A fetal heartbeat may first be detected by a vaginal ultrasound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after gestation. the first visible sign of a developing embryo at 6 1/2 to 7 weeks— dan mccloskey (@oldmandan62) September 22, 2022
Abrams, who has also been an electoral naysayer since her 2018 defeat, will face Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in the upcoming election. According to polls, the Democratic candidate remains five points behind Kemp.
Tomás Lugo, journalist and writer. Born in Venezuela and graduated in Social Communication. Has written for international media outlets. Currently living in Colombia // Tomás Lugo, periodista y articulista. Nacido en Venezuela y graduado en Comunicación Social. Ha escrito para medios internacionales. Actualmente reside en Colombia.