x
Breaking News
More () »

'Heartbeat' abortion ban bill introduced in Idaho Senate

Similar bills have passed in about a dozen states but are tied up in courts.
Credit: Keith Ridler / AP
The Idaho Senate debates a bill at the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho.

Legislation that would outlaw an abortion in Idaho once a fetal heartbeat is detected has been introduced. 

The Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday cleared the way for a hearing on the bill that would require doctors before performing abortions to try to detect fetal heartbeats.

If they are found, abortions would be prohibited except if a woman's life is in danger or if the pregnancy is due to rape or incest. 

Similar bills have passed in about a dozen states but are tied up in courts.

Abortion rights advocates and opponents are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court gets involved.

Watch more Idaho politics:

See all of our latest political coverage in our YouTube playlist:

Before You Leave, Check This Out