Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signaled he’d support a bill that would ban abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The governor’s office said Saturday that Edwards was “inclined” to sign the bill if it passes the state legislature.

"Certainly he wants to see the final bill first. This is very much in line with his previous pro-life votes and actions,” Christina Stephens, a deputy chief of staff, told CNN.

Doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be six weeks into a pregnancy, could face a $1,000 fine or up to two years in prison if the bill is signed into law. It does not include exemptions for rape or incest, but it allows exceptions to prevent a "serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" or the death of the mother.

"My position hasn't changed. In eight years in the legislature, I was a pro-life legislator," Edwards said Thursday at a news conference. "When I ran for governor, I said that I was pro-life. And so that's something that's consistent."

The legislation includes a stipulation that it only be enacted if a federal appeals court upholds Mississippi’s law banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Several states led by Republicans have recently passed bills limiting abortion. Alabama’s governor signed legislation earlier this week that bans abortions in most cases, including rape and incest.

Republicans see the bills as possible challengers to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion nationwide.

[Opinion: Roe v. Wade is not 'gone,' but for the first time in nearly 30 years, its survival is uncertain]