Florida State Rep. files Texas-style anti-abortion bill

State Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona

State Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, filed a proposal Wednesday that aims to follow Texas’ lead in blocking physicians from performing abortions if there is a “detectable fetal heartbeat.”

The 40-page proposal (HB 167), dubbed the “Florida Heartbeat Act,” would require doctors to test for fetal heartbeats, which can occur six weeks into pregnancy. If heartbeats are detected, doctors “may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion” on pregnant women, under the proposal.

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