Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Prenat Diagn. 2022 May;42(5):535-541. doi: 10.1002/pd.6136. Epub 2022 Apr 9.
What is already known? The Texas Heartbeat Act, which has been in effect since September 2021, prohibits abortions once a ‘fetal heartbeat’ is detected, except in emergency situations. The law significantly limits access to abortion services in Texas, by essentially prohibiting abortions post 6 weeks' gestation. The law has been subjected to several legal challenges, none of which have been successful to date. What does this article add? This article provides an overview of some of the ethical concerns the law raises and identifies some of the problems the law creates for women, the health profession and society. The article ultimately argues that the law ought to be quashed.
已知情况是什么？《德克萨斯心跳法案》自 2021 年 9 月起生效，规定一旦检测到“胎儿心跳”，除紧急情况外，禁止堕胎。该法律通过基本禁止怀孕 6 周后堕胎，极大地限制了德克萨斯州获得堕胎服务的机会。该法律已经受到了几次法律挑战，但迄今为止没有一次成功。本文增加了哪些内容？本文概述了该法律引起的一些伦理问题，并确定了该法律给妇女、医疗行业和社会带来的一些问题。本文最终认为该法律应该被废除。
