'Heartbeat bills': Is there a so-called fetal heartbeat at six weeks of pregnancy?

As states become increasingly bold in restricting access to abortion, many have drawn the line at around six weeks of pregnancy — the point at which, the laws say, a so-called fetal heartbeat can be detected.

But according to experts, the term “fetal heartbeat” is misleading and medically inaccurate.

“While the heart does begin to develop at around six weeks, at this point the heart as we know it does not yet exist,” said Dr. Ian Fraser Golding, a pediatric and fetal cardiologist at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego.