Abbott signs fetal heartbeat law, Dems vow to ‘see the Texas GOP in federal court’

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a state Senate bill that makes it illegal to get an abortion if there is a fetal heart beat present, and opponents have warned that the law could face legal challenges in federal court.

State Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston) took to social media to express his opposition to Senate Bill 8. 

“SB 8 makes abortion illegal as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and gives almost anyone the ability to sue an abortion provider,” Miles said in a tweet. “SB 8 will be met with strong opposition by Texans who believe in essential health care and reproductive rights.”

While the legislation passed easily through both the state Senate and House of Representatives, it met with stiff Democrat opposition, according to coverage by USA Today. Abbott made no pretense about how strongly he supports the bill, though.

"Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion," Abbott was quoted as saying by USA Today. "In Texas, we work to save those lives and that's exactly what the Texas Legislature did this session."

The law will go into effect as of Sept. 1 this year, USA Today reported. Miles and other Democrats have indicated they are not done fighting the law, though.

“We'll see the Texas GOP in federal court,” Miles said in his tweet.

The requirement set by the law that no fetal heartbeat be detectable in order for an abortion to be permitted does not set a particular timeframe in gestation, though the heartbeat can be present as early as six weeks, USA Today reported. For many women, that may mean that by the time they even find out they are pregnant, it will already be too late to have an abortion in Texas.