Ohio lawmakers on Tuesday passed the controversial "Heartbeat Bill" that would ban abortions. If the heartbeat of a fetus can be detected -- which usually occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy, the Heartbeat bill can be applied. Some are calling this bill as "Trumpmania."
Ohio Lawmakers Claim They Would Make Abortion Illegal
Acording to CNN, the state legislators had considered the bill in previous years but it never passed the Senate. "A new President, new Supreme Court justice appointees change the dynamic, and that there was a consensus in our caucus to move forward," Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, a Republican from Celina, told reporters after the final vote.
What will happens to the bill depends on Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has 10 days to decide whether to veto the legislation. If Kasich signs the Heartbeat Bill, or if he does nothing within 10 days, the measure would become law early next year. Which means as early as next year, the lawmakers will prohibit such abortions even in cases of rape or incest.
A veto would stop the bill unless three-fifths of the state House and Senate vote for an override.
Should the bill become law, a court battle likely would ensue. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio already has said it would press a legal challenge. The becomes a law if it will undergo the usual 5 steps:
Step 1: Introduction
Step 2: Committee Process
Step 3: The Floor
Step 4: Concurrence
Step 5: The Governor
'Heartbeat Bill' Would Make Abortion Illegal
The bill could challenge Supreme Court decisions that found that women have a constitutional right to abortion until around 24 weeks. As reported by Forbes, similar bills have failed, as they rightly should. They beleive that the bill violates current constitutional standards for abortion rights, and similar measures in Arkansas and North Dakota have already been struck down by federal courts.
Accordig to Vanity Fair, Kasich may choose not to court the controversy. But despite largely steering clear of reproductive issues during the Republican primary, the governor has a long record of undermining women’s rights. As the Post reported in March, Kasich has signed 17 anti-abortion measures into law since becoming governor in 2011.
