Ohio’s new governor says he would ‘absolutely’ sign heartbeat bill

Mike DeWine, the new governor of Ohio, said Wednesday he would sign the “Heartbeat Bill” if it comes across his desk. The bill would make abortion illegal after six weeks gestation, the approximate time a preborn baby’s heartbeat can be heard with an ultrasound. During an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, DeWine responded to Hewitt’s question of whether or not he would sign the heartbeat bill by saying, “Yes, absolutely. I stopped by — my wife, Fran, and I stopped by a Right to Life meeting yesterday in the Statehouse, and absolutely.” The bill was previously vetoed by former Ohio Governor John Kasich.

While DeWine can’t approve legislation that passed under Kasich, legislators can reintroduce the bill, hold another vote, and then send the bill to DeWine.

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DeWine said he would sign the bill despite the fact that it will likely face lawsuits at the hands of pro-abortion groups that may take the case all the way to the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, a similar law was struck down in Iowa.

“… [W]e will do this,” said DeWine. “I just saw the headline, a court struck down another heartbeat bill for another state. But ultimately, Hugh, you and I both know that this thing once it’s passed in Ohio, once we sign it, once it becomes law, Planned Parenthood is going to be in the next day, or that day, filing a lawsuit. But ultimately, this will work its way up to the United States Supreme Court. And they’ll make the decision.”

This isn’t the first time DeWine has said he was in favor of the heartbeat bill. Before he was elected and after Gov. Kasich had vetoed the bill, DeWine said, “[…] the heartbeat bill. Gov Kasich vetoed the bill. I would have signed the bill.”

A preborn baby’s heartbeat begins 16-22 days after fertilization and can usually be detected by week five or six using an ultrasound.

Child's development from fertilization to birth

Heartbeat bills are heading to a vote in a few states this year, and can have a huge impact on the number of preborn lives saved from abortion.