The Governor of Texas has signed a bill that makes it illegal to get an abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks into pregnancy, making it one of the earliest abortion bans of any state within the US. Coming into effect in September, Senate Bill 8 has been condemned by pro-choice activists and legal professionals who criticize it for being "unconstitutional", while the Texas lawmakers believe they are "fighting for the lives of the unborn". Banning abortions once heartbeats are detected – so-called "heartbeat bills" – have been proposed in many states including Georgia and Ohio, with some taking effect and some being blocked. They have picked up significant momentum in recent years, despite arguments claiming it is essentially an outright ban on abortion considering most people are not aware they are pregnant by six weeks – this milestone can be reached only two weeks after a missed period. This Texas heartbeat bill has no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.