Ohio Gov. John Kasich Vetoes Early Abortion 'Heartbeat Bill'

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio governor and former Republican presidential candidate John Kasich vetoed the controversial "Heartbeat Bill" Tuesday, which would have made abortions illegal after a fetal heartbeat was detected.

The proposed bill would have given Ohio the most restrictive abortion law in the nation. Kasich had previously expressed concern regarding the constitutionality of the bill. Federal courts in two other states determined that the law would restrict a woman's right to an abortion at a time when many may not even realize they are pregnant.

Kasich did sign into law Senate Bill 127, a less restrictive bill that would forbid abortions after 20 weeks. However, this law is still more restrictive than the current Ohio law which prohibits abortions after 24 weeks except to save the mother's life and in cases of rape and incest.

According to Ohio Department of Health records, a total of 20,000 resident induced abortions were performed in 2015. Only 145 of those abortions occurred at 21 weeks or later last year.

The new law will make it a fourth-degree felony for a doctor to perform an abortion after 20 weeks with the only exception being to save a mother's life; it does not include exceptions for rape, incest or severe fetal defects.

If convicted, the doctor would lose their medical license and potentially face up to 18 months in prison. The new abortion regulations will go into effect in 90 days.

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0