EXPLAINER: Texas law gives limited window for abortions
By JILL BLEED and JAMIE STENGLE
Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said someone seeking an abortion has “at least six weeks” to terminate the pregnancy under the state’s new abortion law. But that’s not how pregnancy works. The Texas law bans abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around six weeks into a pregnancy. A positive pregnancy test does not mark Day 1 of a pregnancy. Instead, gestational age is measured by the first day of a woman or girl’s last period. That means a woman or girl is already in the fourth or fifth week of pregnancy by the time the pregnancy can be detected.
