GOLDEN GATE XPRESS -- “Right now in Texas, Roe v. Wade and the right to privacy and reproductive decision making is being violated,” said Amanda Roberti, assistant professor in SF State’s Political Science Department, who has researched legislation that threatens reproductive rights across the nation. “That’s the full stop. Pregnant peoples’ rights in Texas are being violated.”
According to SB8, there are no exceptions allowing for an abortion past six weeks, “unless the mother’s life is in danger.” There are other states that have passed “heartbeat” laws, which prevent abortion following the detection of cardiac activity; however, due to court challenges, these have yet to be upheld.
The use of the term “heartbeat” in this context is a misnomer according to Roberti. When working on The Informed Consent Project, embryologists and anatomists told her that, “[At six weeks] there is no heart yet, the heart has not developed. It’s more like electrical pulses.”