Ohio House again passes “heartbeat bill” abortion ban

COLUMBUS, Ohio—For the second time in as many years, the Ohio House on Thursday passed a “heartbeat bill” that would create some of the strictest anti-abortion rules in the country.

House Bill 258, which passed the Republican-dominated House by a mostly party-line vote of 58-35, seeks to make Ohio the fourth state to ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, except to prevent the mother from dying or being seriously impaired. That can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy – in some cases, before a woman even realizes she is pregnant.

Ohio lawmakers passed a similar bill in late 2016 that was vetoed by Gov. John Kasich on the grounds that the measure would almost certainly be halted in court, as has been the case with other “heartbeat bills” passed in Arkansas, North Dakota, and Iowa. Kasich did sign separate legislation banning abortions after 20 weeks.

If Kasich vetoes the bill again this year, it’s unclear whether legislative proponents of the bill can find the 60-plus House votes needed to override his veto. The legislation now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

The vote on the bill came after hours of speeches from both sides of the abortion issue -- though, as usual in floor debate, it didn’t appear that any lawmakers' votes were changed by their words.

State Rep. Christina Hagan, a Stark County Republican and the bill’s co-sponsor, said the measure would provide “a more consistent and reliable marker for the courts to use” when considering the constitutionality of abortion laws.

“We know when a heartbeat stops that we have lost a human life,” said Hagan, who brought her newborn twin boys to the House floor during debate on the bill.

State Rep. Candice Keller, a Middletown Republican, asserted that, contrary to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe. v. Wade, abortion is not a constitutional right.

“There’s not a word about it in the Constitution,” Keller said, saying the “heartbeat bill" could save “20,000 children per year” in Ohio.

“This is determining the life of a human being -- the pain of a human being,” Keller said.

Several House Democrats spoke out against the bill.

State Rep. Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat, noted the bill makes no exception for pregnancy resulting from incest or rape.

“Victims of rape should not have additional control of their bodies taken away from them,” Antonio said. “It should be a survivor’s decision to make.”

Stephanie Howse, a Cleveland Democrat who had her mic cut on Wednesday during a debate on a “stand your ground” bill regarding use of force in self-defense, noted that there are only 24 women in the 99-member House.

“I do not need anyone in the building telling me what to do with my body,” Howse said. “It is really, really, really unsettling that we have to tell people what to do with their body.”

Before approving the bill, House Republicans rejected a number of proposed Democratic amendments that would, among other things, provide free birth control to Ohio women who have been pregnant and encourage teaching about sexual education and contraception use in schools.