The Ohio House passed an abortion bill today by a vote of 58-35. The Cincinnati Enquirer says this bill “would effectively ban abortions after the first six weeks of a woman’s pregnancy by penalizing doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.” The Republican majority in the House knew the risks of passing this bill. Governor John Kasich, a Republican who vetoed the previous Heartbeat Bill that made it to his desk. And he could very well veto it again if it comes up before he leaves office. The state Senate could also just refuse to take up the bill at all.
If the Senate does end up taking up the abortion legislation and it passes, the Enquirer reports, “To override a Kasich veto, the Ohio House would need 60 votes – two more than the 58 who supported the proposal Thursday.”
This could be a challenge, because seven Republicans reportedly voted against the Heartbeat Bill in the House: “Reps. Marlene Anielski and Nathan Manning from Northeast Ohio; Rick Carfagna, Mike Duffey, Anne Gonzales, and Scott Ryan from Central Ohio and Steve Arndt of Port Clinton.”
There was one Democrat who crossed party lines to vote in favor of the bill, Rep. Bill Patmon of Cleveland.
The incoming Governor-Elect Mike DeWine seems less likely to veto, should the bill make it to his desk after he assumes office in January 2019.
House Democrats wanted to add items to it including “requiring comprehensive sex education in schools [and] providing access to contraception.” In addition, Democrats wanted to make it so that doctors who might break this law, if passed, would have no criminal penalties.
The Enquirer states the Heartbeat bill contains no exceptions for rape or incest, but would allow abortion to save a woman’s life or prevent “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
What do you think about this bill passed by the Ohio House?
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