HB 0077, as known as the "Heartbeat Bill," has returned to the Tennessee state legislature.
The "Heartbeat Bill" prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable. It also requires fetal heartbeat testing prior to an abortion.
Rep. Micah VanHuss from the Tri-Cities and Sen. Mae Beavers introduced the controversial plan in 2017, but it never made it out of committee.
The bill drew controversy with pro-life groups who said it runs contrary to the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, which established a right to abortion until the point of fetal viability or about 24 weeks after gestation.
“I want to protect life and I wasn’t not around for Roe V. Wade but I am now, so I aim to fix it because I want to protect life," VanHuss told 10News when he introduced the bill in 2017.
To see this bill and the other legislation 10News is following in 2019, use Annie's bill blog.
