Iowa recently passed a law outlawing abortions from the moment a heartbeat is detected — roughly six weeks into pregnancy, and before some women even know they’re pregnant. It’s a law designed to force women to give birth against their will and is already being challenged in the courts.

That is, arguably, what the anti-abortion crowd wanted to see. They want this challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court. By the time it gets there, there’s a chance Donald Trump could’ve replaced a liberal justice with an ultra-conservative one, and then Roe v. Wade will be overturned, and then Jesus will bring all the dead fetuses back to life. (At least I assume that’s the game plan.)

But anti-abortion activist Janet Porter says the Iowa law doesn’t go far enough. Abortions are still legal until the heartbeat is detected, which means the law must get even more draconian.

Speaking on Gordon Klingenschmitt‘s “Pray In Jesus Name” program this week, she argued that the next law should ban abortions the moment a heartbeat occurs — before it can even be detected by machines — which can happen about 18 days after conception.

“People ask me, ‘If we can’t protect from conception, what would be the next bill you would recommend for the people of Iowa?’” Porter said. “Well, I’d recommend a bill that would protect babies from the occurrence of a heartbeat. We might not be able to hear it, but at 18 days, the occurrence of that baby’s heart is beating and that means that we would protect them all.”

There’s absolutely no medical justification for this. It’s just an arbitrary rule Porter is creating to limit women’s rights. By the same logic, she could say abortions should be banned as soon as a woman feels queasy… or at the first cell division… or, hell, 12 seconds after orgasm.

There’s no science behind it. It’s just a game to these people. They make up random reasons abortions have to be restricted, and if they have a Republican legislature willing to play along, women are increasingly forced to find unsafe methods to obtain what ought to be a safe, legal procedure.

(via Right Wing Watch)

