Abortionist Compares Unborn Baby’s Heartbeat to “Stomach Bug”
Originally Published by LifeNews, February 18, 2022
An abortion activist portrayed as a medical expert recently compared an unborn baby’s heartbeat to a “stomach bug” in an attempt to discredit decades of scientific knowledge.
As heartbeat bills grow in popularity and polls show public support for these protections for unborn babies, abortion activists are desperately trying to deceive the public with claims that unborn babies do not have a heartbeat by six weeks of pregnancy.
This week, a Wisconsin news outlet quoted Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN and abortionist with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in a piece criticizing a bill in the state legislature that would ban abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable.
The Badger Herald referred to an interview Verma did with NPR last year in which she compared an unborn baby’s heartbeat to using the term “stomach bug.” The Herald erroneously attributed the quote to another pro-abortion activist quoted by NPR.
According to NPR, Verma “might use that term with a patient who has gastroenteritis, she says, ‘but I would never use that term to talk to my colleagues or in my clinical documentation, because it’s not a precise term, it’s not a scientific term.’”
Interestingly, however, until recently, even Verma’s own organization accepted and published the fact that an unborn baby has a detectable heartbeat by six weeks of pregnancy.
A pro-life advocate pointed out that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently scrubbed the term “heartbeat” from its prenatal development facts page. Until 2020, the webpage stated, “The heartbeat can be detected with ultrasound at about 6 weeks of pregnancy.” Now it says, “Cardiac tissue starts to develop.”
The science has not changed. It’s just part of abortion activists’ attempts to dehumanize unborn babies.
Numerous other sources confirm that an unborn baby does have a heartbeat by six weeks. According to a pregnancy outline on the Mayo Clinic website, “the heart and other organs also are starting to form and the heart begins to beat” at about four weeks after conception.
Even Planned Parenthood – the largest abortion chain in the U.S. – admits on its website that an unborn baby has a heartbeat. It states that by five to six weeks of pregnancy, “a very basic beating heart and circulatory system develop.”
Secular Pro-Life recently compiled a list of quotes from textbooks, scientific journals and other expert sources that confirm an unborn baby’s heart begins to beat as early as 22 days gestation.
A few years ago, the prestigious University of Oxford and the British Health Association also published an amazing study suggesting that the human heart may begin beating as early as 16 days after conception.
“The heart is the first organ to form during pregnancy and is critical in providing oxygen and nutrients to the developing embryo,” the university wrote.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin and other states, inspired by the life-saving success of the Texas heartbeat law, are working to pass similar legislation.
Last week, a Wisconsin Senate committee held a hearing on state Senate Bill 923, sponsored by state Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin. The bill would prohibit abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions would be allowed if the mother’s life is in danger.
Like the Texas law, the bill includes a private enforcement mechanism that allows private individuals to sue abortionists who violate the abortion ban. Abortionists accused of violations also would be subjected to unprofessional conduct investigations by the state Medical Examining Board.
Bradley said he hopes to save unborn babies’ lives in Wisconsin just like Texas has been doing.
“After passing the heartbeat bill in September, 10,000 lives have been saved in Texas,” Bradley said in a statement online. “Every beating human heart ought to be protected from abortion. That’s why I’ve authored the bill for Wisconsin.”
If it passes, the legislation could save thousands of unborn babies from abortion every year. According to the state health department, 6,511 abortions were performed in 2019. Most unborn babies are aborted after their hearts are beating.
Wisconsin Right to Life, which supports the bill, pointed to recent polling showing that half of Americans believe abortion should be illegal once an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected.
“A heartbeat is an undeniable sign of life, and reminds us of the humanity of unborn children who are deserving of protection,” said Gracie Skogman, legislative director at Wisconsin Right to Life. “The Wisconsin Heartbeat Act, if passed, would be a powerful step forward in ensuring the protection of all children, and furthers our mission of making abortion both illegal and unthinkable.”
At least eight other states also are considering heartbeat bills this year.