The law the Supreme Court just failed to block is not just a blow to women; it's biologically nonsensical

By Michelle Rodrigues, Scientific American
September 4, 2021

The Supreme Court recently upheld a Texas law that would be prevent patients from accessing abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy. There are many reasons this law is concerning—chiefly that it will do considerable harm to many people—but it is also based on bad biology. Pregnancy math is confusing, and it’s unclear whether legislators involved are simply ignorant on reproductive biology or recognize that it’s an indirect way to ban all abortions.

But in reality, the six-week ban limits abortion care to only four weeks after conception, and only one week, realistically, from when a person could find out they are pregnant. At this stage, an embryo has implanted and has a neural tube, and the blood vessel that will develop into the heart begins pulsing. This pulsing, or “heartbeat,” is the basis for the emotional appeal of these bills. But at this early stage, the embryo is still in the process of differentiating organs and won’t be classified as a “fetus” until about a month later.

Continued: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-absurd-pregnancy-math-behind-the-lsquo-six-week-rsquo-abortion-ban/