Ohio House Votes to Ban Nearly All Abortions with Heartbeat Bill

Calvin Freiburger : Nov 16, 2018
Lifesitenews.com

"Establishing human heartbeat protections in Ohio is an historic opportunity for those committed to the cause of life." -Right to Life

(Columbus, OH)—[Lifesitenews.com] The Ohio House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass legislation that would ban the vast majority of abortions upon detection of a fetal heartbeat.

House Bill 258 would ban committing an abortion on any preborn baby with a detectable heartbeat, except in cases of a "substantial and irreversible" physical threat to the mother. Any physician that violates the statute would face up to a year in prison. Preborn babies' hearts finish forming around 7-8 weeks into pregnancy.

HB 258 now goes to the overwhelmingly-Republican state Senate, where Senate President Larry Obhof says he has the votes to pass it, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He hasn't decided whether or not to hold a vote, however, because the bill is opposed by Ohio's ostensibly "pro-life" Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich vetoed a heartbeat abortion ban in 2016, instead signing a late-term abortion ban and arguing the state would only lose an inevitable lawsuit defending the stronger law, gaining nothing but legal bills. He's expected to do so again, and the bill's 58-35 margin isn't large enough to override a veto.

If the outgoing governor again vetoes the bill and lawmakers can't muster enough votes to override it, pro-lifers will have another chance when Governor-elect Mike DeWine, previously the state's attorney general, takes over in January. DeWine, who in his previous role defended the states' efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, has already pledged to sign the bill... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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