Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose presidential campaign has been beset by a collapse in the polls and possible staffing issues, is taking on a new political front; she’s introducing a strongly anti-abortion bill in the House, which could potentially help her rev up pro-life voters.
Bachmann’s proposed “Heartbeat Informed Consent Act,” announced on Thursday, would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound, in order to view and hear a fetal heartbeat.
At the time of writing, the bill has attracted the co-sponsorship of 29 fellow Republicans, as well as numerous pro-life groups as listed in Bachmann’s press release. However, even if it were to to pass the House — which would pit the Republican leadership’s competing values of supporting conservative social legislation, but also their reputed dislike of Bachmann, against one another — it could likely get bottled up in the Democratic Senate.
As such, the bill probably does not have much chance of actual passage during this Congress.
From Bachmann’s press release:
“A pregnant woman who enters an abortion clinic is faced with a decision that will forever change two lives. That’s why she must have the very best information with which to make that decision. The ‘Heartbeat Informed Consent Act,’ that I introduced today, would require that abortion providers make the unborn child’s heartbeat visible through ultrasound, describe the cardiac activity, and make the baby’s heartbeat audible, if the child is old enough for it to be detectable.
“A study by Focus on the Family found that when women who were undecided about having an abortion were shown an ultrasound image of the baby, 78% chose life. An unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected as early as five weeks after conception and ultrasound technology is an amazing medical advance that provides a window for a pregnant woman to see her unborn child. My legislation will not only enable this technology to be better used to protect life, but also to ensure that a woman who is considering abortion is finally able to give full and informed consent.”
(Via the Star Tribune.)
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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