I write about many, well, ridiculous statements that people make—and I keep thinking, “surely this is the most ridiculous thing I will ever write about,” but I just keep getting proven wrong! And that’s happening again, this time with a statement from Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, Stacey Abrams.

Heartbeats—Manufactured Sounds?

During a campaign event, Abrams stated, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”

Yes, you read that right. Abrams thinks that the sound of a heartbeat—a sound that countless parents, since the invention of the fetal doppler in 1958, have heard—is “manufactured” so that men can control women’s bodies.

So are all doctors and all hospitals in on this grand conspiracy—a conspiracy that’s apparently lasted over 60 years!—to play a fake sound for excited moms and dads to hear? (And what about the heartbreaking cases where parents don’t get to hear that beautiful sound during their appointment? What kind of monster does Abrams think obstetricians and other prenatal healthcare providers are that they would fake a heartbeat sound for some parents, and not for others, knowing that the lack of a heartbeat means that their baby has passed away?)

And what about the many parents who have purchased their own fetal doppler to use at home? Is the fetal doppler preloaded with fake heartbeat sounds (sounds that only start playing at certain times as mom moves the doppler over her belly!)? What ridiculous nonsense!

Controlling Women’s Bodies?

Now let’s examine the second half of her argument: that this sound is “manufactured” to “convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.” Well, first of all, the baby is not part of the woman’s body.

The baby has his or her own unique DNA—half from mom, half from dad—and, if the baby is a boy, even has his own unique sex chromosome (a Y in addition to the X). When mom is pregnant, she does not have four hands, four arms, four legs, four feet, and two heads! Why? Because the unborn child is not part of the woman’s body. He or she is a separate, unique human being who is simply living in his or her mother’s body. In fact, the mother’s immune system recognizes that the baby is not part of her body, but thankfully, God built an anti-rejection system into the uterus and the pregnancy process so that the fertilized egg can build the child’s body. So, this has nothing to do with controlling a woman’s body—it’s about the life of a unique human being, made in God’s image, dwelling in a woman’s womb.

Who Really Wants Control?

Also, think about the whole idea of men trying to control women’s bodies by not allowing them to kill their unborn children for just a moment. Does that actually make any sense? There’s a reason abortion is supported by many men today—because they can do whatever they want with sex with no consequences! They can sleep around and not have to assume the responsibility of providing for and caring for a child and his or her mother.

It would be more accurate to say that abortion is about controlling women. After all, consider these statistics:

• Up to 64% of abortions involve coercion.
• Up to 83% [of women who chose abortion and sought help afterwards] wanted to have the baby. In a survey of women who sought help after abortion, 83% said they would have carried to term if they had received support from the baby’s father, their family, or other important people in their lives.
• In 95% of cases, men play a central role in the decision to abort.
• 67% of women said they received no counseling beforehand.
• 84% of women reported they received inadequate counseling beforehand.
• 54% of women were not sure about their decision at the time, yet … 79% were not counseled about alternatives.

So, who is really trying to control women and their choices? Pro-“choice” men (and abortion providers)!

“Cardiac Activity” vs. Heartbeat

Now, it’s not just Abrams making ridiculous statements about fetal heartbeats. Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, recently (and reportedly in response to Abrams’ statement) “redefined fetal heartbeat on its website.” Their website now states:

A part of the embryo starts to show cardiac activity. It sounds like a heartbeat on an ultrasound, but it’s not a fully-formed heart – it’s the earliest stage of the heart developing.

Again, this is anti-science nonsense. Yes, a heartbeat on a doppler sounds like a heartbeat because it is. An embryo shows “cardiac activity” because there is a heartbeat. Just like Planned Parenthood uses “embryo” and “fetus” (scientific terms) to dehumanize babies in the womb, they are using “cardiac activity” over “heartbeat” because such a cold, sterile word doesn’t invoke the same emotions that “heartbeat” does. It’s all about controlling the debate using language.

Now, of course, the heart of a baby in the womb at five weeks gestational age isn’t fully developed yet. From fertilization until birth, a baby is developing—and continues to develop after birth for the rest of their lives as they enter different developmental stages. So, of course, the heart, like the rest of the tiny body, will continue to develop. But that doesn’t mean the heartbeat isn’t a heartbeat.

Heartbeats Don’t Determine Personhood

Furthermore—and here’s the most important point to remember—a heartbeat does not determine personhood! Babies are living human beings, made in the image of God, from the moment of fertilization—not from the moment their heart starts to beat. A beating heart is simply another milestone of development; it’s not a marker to say “this is when a person becomes a person” or even “this is when life begins.”

We don’t get to determine which humans are or are not persons. God has already done that in his Word, and the testimony of Scripture is that, before our bodies are even fully formed, we are persons:

Psalm 139:13–16 KJV – “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

Yes, life beings at fertilization and taking that life at any stage of development is murder.