Kasich vetoes heartbeat bill; bans 20wk abortions to challenge Roe v. Wade

Enlarge (credit: Getty | Mark Wilson)

On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed the so-called “heartbeat” bill that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detectable, about 6 weeks into a pregnancy. Heartbeats can easily be detected before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.

The move may seem like a victory for abortion advocates. However, in the same fell swoop, Kasich also signed into a law a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. And this move is far more threatening to abortion rights in the state and country than the heartbeat legislation. In fact, the law is “nationally designed to be the vehicle to end abortion in America,” according to abortion opponents.

Kasich, who is against abortion rights, vetoed the heartbeat bill because it likely wouldn’t hold up in federal courts. Indeed, the US Supreme Court has long held that states cannot block abortions before a fetus is viable, i.e. able survive outside the womb—which is generally around 24 weeks. The heartbeat bill, essentially a 6-week abortion ban, is clearly at odds with the Constitutional standard. As such, similar heartbeat laws from Arkansas and North Dakota have been struck down in federal courts.

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Kasich vetoes heartbeat bill; bans 20wk abortions to challenge Roe v. Wade