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Kayleigh McEnany, a conservative commentator and former CNN contributor, took to Twitter to refute Abrams’ claim.
“I was at my 1st OBGYN appointment when I heard my baby’s heartbeat for the first time,” she wrote. “It was not manufactured – it was real and beautiful.”
McEnany also shared a photo of her son, born in August 2017.
“Ladies, we know our bodies,” she concluded. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Abrams’ comments come as several states, including Georgia, are considering so-called “fetal heartbeat” laws that ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. These laws are among the most restrictive in the country and have been met with fierce opposition from abortion rights advocates.
Supporters of these laws say that a fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, though medical experts dispute this claim.
Her comments: “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.
“I believe that abortion is a medical decision, not a political decision. Arbitrary politically-defined timelines are deeply problematic because they ignore the reality of medical and physiological issues.”
Abrams, who is challenging Georgia’s current male governor in the Democratic primary, has made reproductive rights a major theme of her bid. She has stated that she would veto any bill that restricted access to abortion and was praised by Planned Parenthood.
Kemp is leading Abrams by 50% to 42%, according to the latest AJC poll. This is an increase from Kemp’s five-point lead in the AJC’s July poll.
According to a poll (Sept. 5-16, plus or minus 3.3 percentage points), Republican candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state have double-digit leads.
Kemp’s lead in the polls comes after he and Abrams conducted their first debate earlier this month. The two candidates have been locked in a tight race, with both sides accusing the other of trying to suppress voter turnout.
Abrams has accused Kemp of using his position as secretary of state to make it harder for people to vote, while Kemp has accused Abrams of trying to steal the election.
The debate took place at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night earlier this month at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta. It was moderated by GPB’s Martha Dalton and live-streamed on GPB.org and YouTube.
The poll also found that 37% of respondents approved of President Biden’s job performance. This is a significant drop from the 52% approval rating he enjoyed shortly after taking office.
The pollsters attribute this decline to several factors, including the ongoing pandemic and the economic crisis it has wrought. They also point to the president’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as a contributing factor.
The poll found that approval of the president’s handling of the economy has also declined, from 48% in February to 41% now.
The poll was conducted among 1,000 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
