Tens of thousands of lives are at stake in Florida, but you wouldn’t know it thanks to prevailing narratives. As a doctor, I am shocked by the rampant misinformation that exists about the Heartbeat Protection Act that will take effect this week. These lies are designed to detract from a commonsense law that is supported by a majority of Floridians, will save the lives of unborn children, and will protect the health of women.
The abortion lobby is hoping that misinformation about the heartbeat law will push Floridians into voting for an extreme constitutional amendment (Amendment 4) that will allow late term abortions in the state. Voters in Florida should not be deceived.
The heartbeat law is science-backed and considers the incredible fetal development that has already occurred at six weeks gestation. My experience as a radiologist, combined with extensive research on the fetal heart, has given me the opportunity to see the fetal heart up close, which is the baby’s very first organ to form and function. By six weeks, the child’s heart beats at a rate of around 110 beats per minute, proving without a doubt that the child is alive and growing within the mother’s womb.
Using ultrasound technology, doctors have identified and recorded the heart beating by the six-week stage of development. Once the heartbeat is detected, the baby has an over 90 percent chance of surviving up to birth and beyond.
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The heartbeat law recognizes this science-backed data and gives the unborn that chance at life, while also allowing for exceptions in rare and heartbreaking situations including when the mother’s life is at risk, in cases of rape or incest (before 15 weeks), or when there is a fatal prenatal diagnosis (before the third trimester).
The heartbeat law correctly recognizes the dignity and worth of the unborn while extending critical support to mothers. The law includes $25 million to help meet the physical and emotional needs of women during and after their pregnancies. By channeling the money towards Florida’s pregnancy resource centers, the heartbeat law offers expecting mothers free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling, financial assistance, and much more.
In the last 18 years, Florida Pregnancy Care Network has supported more than half a million clients and provided 1.8 million pregnancy-related services. The heartbeat law ensures this support can continue and that mothers will receive the care they need to deliver healthy babies.
The life-affirming support and care extended to women and unborn babies in the heartbeat law is a direct contrast to the extreme abortion-on-demand policies that are being pushed in Amendment 4.
Already, Florida’s abortion rate is on the rise, with more than 84,000 abortions last year alone. If the abortion measure is passed, these numbers will dramatically increase as the Sunshine State becomes a destination for late term abortions, molded in the image of states like California.
The amendment will also remove the state’s current health standards that keep women safe. If this extreme measure passes, Florida will be limited in how it can regulate abortion clinics. The amendment also allows any “healthcare provider” to carry out an abortion, without defining the term or outlining the necessary medical qualifications needed to perform the procedure.
Floridians should reject this extreme measure and instead build upon the life-affirming care and support the state currently provides to women and unborn children through the heartbeat law and other measures.
Terminating the lives of children after they have a heartbeat will rob Florida parents of healthy sons and daughters, and Florida communities of future policemen, teachers, doctors, and neighbors. The heartbeat law provides an important protection for both unborn children and women, and it is a realistic, science-backed law that will save more lives in the Sunshine State.
LifeNews Note: Grazie Pozo Christie, M.D., is a Senior Fellow for The Catholic Association and host of the nationally syndicated radio show Conversations with Consequences. She practices radiology in the Miami area, where she lives with her husband and five children.This column originally appeared at Real Clear Policy.
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