The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, today praised a report published by Texas Health and Human Services Commission showing that abortions in the Lonestar State dropped by 60% in the first month after the state’s Heartbeat Act went into effect. The law was championed by National Right to Life’s state affiliate, Texas Right to Life.
According to the Commission, in August 2021, there were more than 5,400 abortions statewide. In September, after the Texas Heartbeat Act was allowed to go into effect, the number of abortions dropped to just under 2,200.
“Nearly 3,200 children were saved in just one month following enactment of the Texas Heartbeat Act and more have been protected in the months since,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “We applaud Texas Right to Life for leading the charge to protect Texas mothers and their unborn children from the tragedy of abortion.”
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Under the Texas Heartbeat Act, abortions may not be performed after the unborn child’s heartbeat is detectable – generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. Fetology textbooks show that the heart begins to beat in the developing child between 18 and 21 days after fertilization.
Since 1990 when the original artwork was unveiled at the “Rally for Life,” National Right to Life’s long-running Media Impact Campaign has continually worked to educate Americans that “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart.” That simple truth has appeared on bumper stickers, billboards, television, and radio ads, print ads, t-shirts, and countless other places in the intervening 30 years.
“Our nation’s laws need to follow the science, and the science tells us that abortion stops the heartbeat of a living, unborn baby,” said Tobias. “We look forward to the day when the heartbeats of all unborn children are protected by our laws.”
The report from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission can be found here.
