Ohio maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Michael Cackovic says Republican-backed laws banning abortions at what they term the “first detectable fetal heartbeat” defy science. He says at the point where advanced ultrasound technology can detect a steady repetitive rhythm, the embryo isn’t yet a fetus and it doesn’t have a heart. The assertion by proponents that abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy “stops a beating heart” may have helped propel so-called “heartbeat bills” to defy constitutional concerns to become law in 13 states. None has taken effect due to court challenges, the latest being argued Thursday in Tennessee.