Ohio Senate passes ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill

By: Alaina H.

On March 13, 2019, the Ohio Senate passed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bills, nicknamed the “heartbeat bill.” The heartbeat bill prohibits abortion in cases in which “it has been determined that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable fetal heartbeat,” typically within 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. There are no exceptions for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest.

First introduced in October of 2011, the heartbeat bill has been a prevalent piece of legislature in recent years. The bill was vetoed by Governor John Kasich in 2016, but reappeared in 2018 with the support of Ohio Right to Life and various pro-life organizations.

The bill has received much support from conservative legislators, who claim that the bill’s objective is essential in their mission to preserve the lives of unborn children. Democrats opposing the bill claim that it is extremely restrictive and dangerous to the health of pregnant women, in addition to the fact that some women may not be aware of their pregnancy within the short time frame.

According to the text of the bill, “The state of Ohio has legitimate interests from the outset of the pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of an unborn human individual who may be born.”

Currently, Ohio’s “viability law” bans abortions after a fetus has become viable, meaning that it is capable of surviving outside of the womb. Meaning that a woman has until at least 20 weeks into pregnancy to make her decision. The heartbeat bill will significantly reduce this timeframe.

According to a poll from Baldwin Wallace University, 43% of Ohioans oppose the bill, while only 41% support it. The bill is currently being debated in the Ohio House.