Texas House gives final passage of Sen. Hughes fetal heartbeat bill

AUSTIN, Texas (KLTV) - After receiving approval in the Texas Senate, an East Texas legislator’s bill, which would stop certain abortion procedures from taking place, received final passage in the Texas House on Thursday.

Senate Bill 8, authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), would ban all elective abortions as soon as the fetus’ heartbeat is capable of being detected, which is typically around six weeks.

The bill passed in an 83 to 64 vote.

The bill’s sponsor in the House, Rep. Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville), laid out the purpose of the bill before House members. Slawson said “the heartbeat is a clear and unequivocal evidence of human life and the fetal heartbeat is a key medical predictor of whether an unborn child will reach live birth. The Texas Heartbeat Act will protect the lives of our most precious Texans starting at the moment their heart begins to beat.”

The bill will now go back to the Senate for consideration for amendments. If those are accepted, it will go to the governor’s desk for signature.

Previous story: Texas House OKs Sen. Hughes fetal heartbeat bill in prelim vote

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