FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2021
Contact: Prudence Robertson, [email protected] | 240-672-2828
Washington, D.C. – In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Texas Heartbeat Act to remain in effect. The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) released the following comment in response:
“The Supreme Court’s ruling allows Texas to protect unborn babies with beating hearts while litigation continues,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List. “The Texas legislature, acting on the will of the people, debated and passed this law with the very simple goal of protecting unborn children with beating hearts from death in the womb. This is how democracy works. The American people are hungry to finally let this debate play out across the country and be given the opportunity to catch our laws up with compassion for women and children and science. After nearly 50 years of suppression, we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will soon afford Americans the opportunity to finally let their voices be heard on the greatest human rights issue of our day.”
This fall the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case involving Mississippi’s 15-week abortion limit. The Court is set to consider whether all pre-viability limits on abortion are unconstitutional.
Public opinion polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans reject pro-abortion extremism. Earlier this year, SBA List launched a nationwide campaign asserting the humanity of unborn children which is evident throughout pregnancy:
- At 6 weeks:
- Unborn babies in the womb have a heartbeat.
- Blood vessels are forming into the circulatory system.
- The brain and spinal cord are beginning to develop.
- By 10 weeks:
- Babies have arms and legs, fingers and toes.
- The baby can kick and will jump if startled.
- Their pain receptors have been developing for weeks (week 7).
- At 15 weeks, babies:
- Have fully developed hearts – pumping 26 quarts of blood per day.
- Have fully formed noses and lips, and eyelids and eyebrows.
- Can taste and make facial expressions, yawn, hiccup, swallow, and suck their thumbs.
- They can feel pain: By 13 to 14 weeks, almost the entire body responds to light touch; brain structures are mature enough by 15 weeks to process pain; painful procedures trigger a hormonal stress response.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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