The Power of a Heartbeat

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My firstborn son was 6 weeks old when my husband and I first saw him on an ultrasound.

On the screen in front of us, the tech explained what we were seeing, but the only thing that caught our attention was the lima-bean-shaped speck she said was our baby. After waiting so long for that moment, it felt surreal.

But there was something else surreal about this little bean: in the center of what looked like a speck, a flicker began to appear.

The tech then told us, “That’s the baby’s heart. Right now, he or she is the size of a blueberry, but their heart rate is 143 beats per minute.”

I immediately met with my doctor to discuss the scan. He reiterated how amazing it was to see such a healthy heart in someone so tiny. To put it in perspective, he reminded us that an adult’s heart is about the size of their fist. So it is truly mind-blowing to imagine how minuscule our baby’s heart was – yet it appeared as a powerful force on the screen.

PreBorn, a ministry that is devoted to helping moms choose life for their infants through the means of free ultrasounds, explains: “Development of the human heart inside the womb is fascinating and complex. As a preborn baby develops, intricate and miraculous happenings occur, from head to toe, through every stage of pregnancy. The heart, one of the first organs to form, begins beating just 22 days after conception.”

Many moms don’t even realize they’re expecting until weeks four or five, but by week six, for many, their child’s little heart is already pounding – and seeing it for themselves is life-changing. Over the years, these early-detected heartbeats have been known to change and save lives.

On its website, Preborn shared that, “By providing free ultrasounds, compassionate counseling, and holistic, gospel-centered care, lives are saved every single day both physically and spiritually.”

Not only does that heartbeat change the minds of moms, but it has also been used to change our nation and protect babies yet to be born.

Because of a baby’s heartbeat, nearly a dozen states in the U.S. have passed “heartbeat laws” that protect the infants in the womb. In many states, this legislation declares that once a heartbeat is detected, abortion is no longer an option.

Since the first legislation was passed, these laws have made a huge difference in the lives of the unborn.

Last year, Live Action reported that “[T]he Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study on the impact of recently enacted pro-life laws. It analyzed state[-]level fertility data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia from 2012 to 2023. It found that state[-]level abortion bans and heartbeat acts resulted in statistically significant increases in state fertility rates. Overall, it estimates that over 22,000 lives have been saved by recently enacted pro-life laws.”

Yes, you read that correctly.

More than 22,000 babies have been saved simply because their heartbeats were detected!

The thing is, though, as thankful as I am for this legislation and the technology that lets us see those tiny but mighty hearts, I am reminded that our powerful God knew who each of these babies would be long before their heartbeats ever showed up on a screen. The Lord knew my little baby before I saw his heartbeat – just like He knew yours, too.

Scripture reassures us of this truth in Psalm 139:13-16, which says:

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Further proving that to the God of the universe, these little hearts matter.

The question is, what will we do to protect them?

For more information on how to get involved, visit PreBorn and stay tuned to American Family Radio for more ways to join in the fight for life.

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