Gov. Greg Abbott, R-TX, signed into law legislation protecting unborn children as soon as a heartbeat can be detected. The law sets the cutoff for legal abortions at about six weeks after conception.

While Texas is often considered a conservative state, passing pro-life legislation in the Lone Star State has proven difficult. Pro-life leaders said that makes the passage of the new Heartbeat Law an even more profound victory.

“The Texas Heartbeat Act is the strongest Pro-Life bill passed by the Legislature since Roe v. Wade and will save thousands of lives,” said Rebecca Parma of Texas Right to Life. “This is a historic day and now is the time to build on our momentum.”

The Texas Heartbeat Act includes provisions for citizens to take legal action against abortionists and others who aid or abet in the crime of aborting pre-born children with heartbeats. The law does not allow criminals who impregnate women through rape to sue against criminal abortions, and does not allow suits directly against mothers who procure abortions.

While aspects of the law are innovative, the legislation also represents what commentators on both sides of the abortion issue recognize as a recent surge of pro-life action — and success — throughout the country.

“There is a groundswell of pro-life activity happening in state legislatures across the nation,” Susan B. Anthony List State Policy Director Sue Liebel said in a statement Wednesday:

Since January, 536 pro-life bills have been introduced with more than 60 signed into law – a strong rebuke of the deeply unpopular abortion agenda being pursued by the Biden-Harris administration and their allies in the abortion lobby.

The Susan B. Anthony List also pointed out that Texas is not alone in its decision to protect the unborn, but “joins South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Dakota in limiting abortions as early as a fetal heartbeat can be detected….”

The above comes from a May 19 story on Catholic Vote.