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LPR Lutheran public radio.org It was

it was one year it was one year ago that Florida's Heartbeat Act, after some legal wrangling, after a lot of challenges,

finally was enacted in Florida. What has been the result of this now common pro-life law and what are the prospects of having

similar Heartbeat Acts in other states? Welcome back to Issues, etc. I'm Todd Wilkin,

joining us to talk about the one-year anniversary of Florida's Heartbeat Act, Dr. Michael New,

visiting assistant professor of social research and political science at the Catholic University of America,

senior associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, he's Paige Comstock Cunningham,

fellow with Americans United for Life, and a columnist for National Review online. Dr. New, welcome back.

Thanks, having me. Much appreciated. Tell us about Florida's Heartbeat Act that was enforced one year ago.

Sure. Florida's Heartbeat Act protects pre-born children after six weeks to station. It was passed by the Florida State Legislature and assigned the law by Governor Ron DeSantis in April of 2024.

And it took effect May 1st, 2024. so just a little bit more than one year ago.

What exactly did it stipulate?

It basically said that preborn children in Florida are protected after a fetal heartbeat can be

detected, which is typically around six weeks gestation.

So it didn't ban all abortions, but it was a good incremental step.

It did protect a lot of pre-born children, and it did make it clear that for those children

after six weeks gestation, there was legal protection.

What kind of challenges did this law face before and after being passed?

Well, anytime you try to pass a pro-life law, there's pushback.

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