Twitter defends Stacey Abrams' fetal heartbeat claim on trending list
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams claimed there's 'no such thing' as a fetal heartbeat
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter appeared to confirm Stacey Abrams’ controversial claims that fetal heartbeats don’t exist in their promotion of the trending news story on Thursday.
The social media giant summarized the story by quoting Abrams’ comments while also adding that news organizations have confirmed "doctors agree" with her assertions.
"Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said there is [sic] ‘is no such thing’ as a fetal heartbeat at six weeks of pregnancy, and doctors agree one doesn't exist during this early stage of pregnancy, reports from NBC News and NPR confirm," Twitter’s description of the trending politics story read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter did not provide links to NBC News or NPR’s pieces on the subject, but a search indicates the articles were written in 2021 after the implementation of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which restricts abortions after six weeks. Twitter also did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Twitter claimed that "doctors agree" with Stacey Abrams claim that fetal heartbeats don't exist (Twitter)
Abrams argued on Wednesday that a fetal heartbeat at six weeks is not real and the idea was "manufactured" by men to "take control" of women's bodies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks," Abrams said. "It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body."
Twitter users blasted Abrams for her comments, noting that doctors and medical professionals have said for decades that a fetal heartbeat can be detected by some forms of ultrasound procedures as early as six weeks with most detecting them by eight weeks.
Others defended Abrams’ comments despite them contradicting the National Library of Medicine and other health organizations and literature.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stacey Abrams recently claimed that the idea that doctors can detect fetal heartbeats is a conspiracy to prop up the pro-life movement. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler argued that the term "fetal heartbeat" is a "misnomer," claiming that an unborn baby’s heartbeat can only be detected at 10 weeks and anything detected before that is either "electrical activity generated by an embryo" or a sound "created by the ultrasound."
Twitter users pushed back against Kessler for this claim.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Planned Parenthood also appeared to edit its own fact sheet regarding fetal heartbeats to conform with the new talking points. As recently as July, the abortion provider’s website stated that within the fifth or sixth week of development "a very basic beating heart and circulatory system develop." By the end of August, the site now referred to it as "cardiac activity."
CLAYTON, GA - JULY 28: Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to supporters and members of the Rabun County Democrats group on July 28, 2022 in Clayton, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
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Abrams has been one of several Democratic candidates promoting abortion as a major issue for the midterm elections. However, a recent Google search study by Axios suggested that abortion is declining as a major concern for many voters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.