Guam Governor Vetoes Heartbeat Act, Override Vote Fails

Political and legal efforts to limit abortion on Guam are expected to continue in 2023.
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The latest effort to further limit access to abortion procedures in Guam has failed, the Pacific Daily News reported Thursday.

Earlier this month, the island’s 15-person Legislature narrowly passed a bill that mimicked Texas’ Heartbeat Act, seeking to permit lawsuits against providers who assist women in terminating their pregnancies after a heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks.

Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero vetoed the bill this week. The Legislature then fell two votes short of overriding Leon Guerrero’s veto.

Compared to other Pacific island territories and nations, the U.S. territory is one of the few where abortion is legally accessible to all women via telehealth up to 11 weeks. But that could change in 2023 given an ongoing court case and efforts to revive Guam’s 1990 abortion ban.

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