Legislators in Ohio have today passed a bill banning abortion after a fetus’s heartbeat is detected, approximately six weeks after conception.
The Heartbeat Bill has no exceptions – even in cases of rape or incest.
Most pregnant women are not aware that they have conceived until around two months after doing so.
After being approved in the Republican-dominated state, the bill will now make its way to anti-abortion Governer John Kasich, who will have 10 days to either sign or veto it.
If it becomes a law, doctors who perform an abortion after detection will be guilty of a fifth degree felony.
The only way an abortion would be allowed, was if there was risk of death or a ‘serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.’
The American Civil Liberties Union has spoken out confirming that they will challenge the bill in court if it becomes a law.
