A bill to define life as when a fetus has a heartbeat has passed through the Iowa Senate and is now being discussed on the House floor.

Senate File 2281, commonly referred to as the “Fetal Heartbeat Bill,” passed through the Senate last week 30-20, along party lines. The bill has been championed by State Senator Jake Chapman (R-District 10), who has for several years attempted to define life at conception. He says he supports SF 2281 as a precursor to even more strict abortion laws in the future. Chapman believes heartbeats are the key to defining whether someone is alive or dead, and that a fetus should be considered the same way. “As an EMT, I can tell you that if we come out on scene, we’re looking for a heartbeat. And if someone goes into cardiac arrest, that’s how we declare death: the heart has stopped beating. And so it does make sense for us to also recognize that life begins when your heart does start beating.”

Chapman says typically an unborn child’s heart begins to form within three weeks, and it will have a heartbeat detectable by ultrasound at six weeks. The “Fetal Heartbeat Bill,” if passed, would criminalize any doctor that performs an abortion after that time frame. However, it does make exceptions when the mother’s life is in danger. Opponents to the bill point out it doesn’t account for cases of rape or incest, as well as the fact most serious birth defects aren’t known until 10 weeks at the earliest. In spite of the potential opposition, Chapman is confident the bill will pass through the House, and will be signed by the governor this year.

To learn more about the current legislative session, listen to Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.