Congressman Mike Kelly of Butler is introducing a new bill that would prevent abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
It’s known as the Heartbeat Protection Act and it would require doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion. If doctors didn’t follow the protocol, they would be subject to criminal penalties.
However, Kelly says that women who receive an abortion in violation of this law would not be prosecuted.
Critics of the bill argue it’s in violation of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States.