Utah Legislature Shows Scientific Ignorance. Again.

[ccharles000]

The Utah legislature has once again demonstrated its utter ignorance of science by passing a bill allowing women to view the heartbeat of their fetus before an abortion -- at three weeks. Here comes the stupid:

Before HB200 cleared the chamber in a 53-15 vote, Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to delete language he believed to be flat-out false, referring to viewing the heartbeat of a fetus at three weeks.

"It is not medically accurate," Litvack said. "It's not possible. It does not exist."

Litvack read from a physician's e-mail that said you could expect to see embryonic cardiac activity at about six weeks from the woman's last period.

Rep. Carl Wimmer, the bill's sponsor, disputed Litvack's claim.

"There are arguments on both sides of the issue," Wimmer, R-Herriman, said.

Uh, no. There's not. A fetus does not have a heart at three weeks, much less a heartbeat. A human embryo at three weeks is about a millimeter long. Good luck detecting a heartbeat.


http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/02/utah_legislature_shows_scienti.php

[theoldman]

1. There are always stupid arguments.

Perhaps it is a good idea to let women look at a three week old fetus. Then they will realize it is only a glob.