Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs bill banning abortions after 20 weeks

Today, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law a bill prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks, while choosing to veto the bill famously known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”

The heartbeat bill would have banned abortions after a baby’s heartbeat is detected by an ultrasound or a doppler, usually at about five or six weeks gestation (the heartbeat is actually present as early as 16 days). Some conservatives saw Ohio’s bill as a potential avenue to overturning Roe v. Wade with new Supreme Court justices appointed by President-elect Donald Trump.

See more photos and videos on fetal development
from the Endowment for Human Development here.

Ohio State Representative Wesley Goodman released a statement, saying:

Pro-life groups were not united in their support of the Heartbeat Bill, however. Ohio Right to Life wrote a letter in opposition to the bill, reasoning that the same legislation had already been ruled unconstitutional in North Dakota and Arkansas. They posited that it would be a useless waste of taxpayer dollars spent in fighting for the bill in court, only to have it potentially fail in federal court.

In a press release, Kasich stated that he agreed with Ohio Right to Life:

However, the Ohio Christian Alliance celebrated the emergence of the bill through the legislature. A number of other pro-life groups in Ohio supported it in theory and in practice. Cincinnati Right to Life, Cleveland Right to Life, Citizens for Community Values, and Ohio Pro-Life Action all backed the Heartbeat Bill.

Prior to Gov. Kasich’s veto, pro-life organization Faith 2 Action wrote a letter urging him to sign the bill. According to the Columbus Dispatch:

The 20-week abortion ban, which just became law, will further strengthen Ohio’s pro-life laws and will save lives. The passage of both bills by the Ohio legislature is evidence the state is moving towards a culture of protecting and valuing life. In 2013, Ohio had fourteen abortion clinics but currently has nine.