Texas Health and Safety Code

§ 171.202 — LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS

HS § 171.202Title 2. HEALTH · Part H. PUBLIC HEALTH PROVISIONS · Ch. 171. ABORTION · Art. H. DETECTION OF FETAL HEARTBEAT

Statute text

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The legislature finds, according to contemporary medical research, that:

(1)fetal heartbeat has become a key medical predictor that an unborn child will reach live birth;

(2)cardiac activity begins at a biologically identifiable moment in time, normally when the fetal heart is formed in the gestational sac;

(3)Texas has compelling interests from the outset of a woman's pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of the unborn child; and

(4)to make an informed choice about whether to continue her pregnancy, the pregnant woman has a compelling interest in knowing the likelihood of her unborn child surviving to full-term birth based on the presence of cardiac activity.

Legislative history

Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 62 (S.B. 8), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2021.