Heart Beat Bill

Kailey NiemanKailey C. Nieman is a Co-Founder,  Vice President of iVoteAmerica. She graduated East Tennessee State University in 2018 where she majored in Political Science and Media and Communications. She is currently in graduate school at Liberty University where she will earn her M.S. in Strategic Communications.

Representative Micah Van Huss-R initially introduced a bill that prohibits an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected.  HB108 is known as the heartbeat bill.  This was a controversial bill because of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe V. Wade which made abortions legal up to fetal viability.

After a series of amendments, the bill would now require physicians to determine whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat with an ultrasound.  Caretakers would be required to offer to show the mother the image or sound of the fetal heartbeat.  The person who determines the presence or absence of a fetal heartbeat would be required to record that information in the patient’s medical records.  They would also estimate the gestation age of the fetus and notate the date and time of the test and the results of the test.

The bill is supported by the Tennessee Right to Life.