U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, has introduced a bill to the House of Representatives that would prohibit abortions when a heartbeat can be detected in a fetus.

The bill, known as the Heartbeat Protection Act, would require doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion and subject them to criminal penalties if they don’t check for a heartbeat or perform an abortion when one is present.

As written, the bill would not apply to abortions necessary to save the life of a mother, and the woman would not be subject to criminal penalties if a doctor subverted the law.

“All people have a right to life, including unborn babies who are the most vulnerable and voiceless among us,” Kelly said Tuesday after he introduced the bill. “A beating heart is the clearest sign of life. Tens of millions of human beings have been lost to abortion since Roe vs. Wade, but we can and must act to prevent that fate for future generations.”

The bill is co-sponsored by 41 Republican representatives, including four from Pennsylvania: Reps. Scott Perry, R-10th, Fred Keller, R-12th, John Joyce, R-13th, and Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th.