Texas requires doctors to show a woman who chooses abortion a sonogram of the fetus and hear the heartbeat. State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) wants to ban abortions altogether 20 weeks into the pregnancy and beyond.
Carol Everett of the Women’s Wellness Coalition of Texas supports the measure. She said she's witnessed a fetus move away from the operation tools.
"Babies are life in the womb," Everett said. "It’s time for us to protect them from those who would destroy them when they can feel pain."
But Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of Whole Woman’s Health, pointed out that some women face complications like fetal anomalies, some are uninsured. Others have language barriers, she added.
"People don’t just sit around and wait until a later term pregnancy to have their abortion," Miller said. "It’s not that anyone wants to end up in that situation."
This is one of roughly a dozen bills pertaining to abortion introduced in the current legislative session.
