If the law is upheld, it would directly challenge Roe’s framework of an almost unlimited right to abortion, especially before fetal viability (as defined by the Court). Jackson Women’s Health Organization pertains to the State of Mississippi’s law banning most abortions after fifteen weeks from conception. Though it’s hard to discern the motives of nine justices, it is well within the realm of possibility that the Court’s decision to stay silent was not a way of undoing Roe but rather a means of not making such a decision before the Mississippi Dobbs case.ĭobbs v. And the answer to that is probably not-at least not yet. Still, because a law seeming to prohibit abortion is now technically on the books, some have wondered if this means the almost fifty-year era of Roe v. It is not enforced by the state but rather by private persons who can sue anyone involved in an abortion-except the woman seeking the procedure. Unlike the Mississippi law that will come before the Court this year, this law is different. The reason this case, in particular, is of such intense interest to both sides of the abortion debate is because the law in question, Senate Bill 8, seems to effectively ban abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. The fact that the Supreme Court didn’t intervene has some Christians wondering: Is Roe now effectively gone? That’s because, due to a legal technicality, the Supreme Court of the United States had until then to overturn a new Texas abortion law before it went into effect on September 1. The bill is now being considered in the Ohio House.Many people counted down until midnight last night, waiting not for a New Year but for the possibility of a post– Roe v. The Ohio Senate in March passed another bill requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains. The latter was blocked from taking effect by a federal judge in March. "Pro-life Ohio thanks Governor DeWine for taking a courageous stand on behalf of unborn children with beating hearts," said Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis in a statement.Ĭurrently, Ohio prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and lawmakers in 2018 passed a law banning the "dilation and evacuation" method of abortion used most commonly after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The legislation also allows the State Medical Board to take disciplinary actions against doctors found in violation and impose penalties of up to $20,000.Īfter hearing testimony from lawmakers and advocates, the Ohio House passed the bill Wednesday afternoon, 56-40, and the Ohio Senate quickly followed to affirm the changes, 18-12. Doctors who perform abortions after detecting a heartbeat would face a fifth-degree felony and up to a year in prison. The bill institutes criminal penalties for doctors who violate the law.
The Republican-led House Health Committee then made several changes before sending it to the House floor, where it passed by party-line vote.īeyond changing the name, the Ohio House version allows for the use of transvaginal ultrasounds to detect heartbeat activity even earlier in a pregnancy. The Ohio Senate originally passed the bill last month. "If this is what it takes, we will see you at the Supreme Court," said Planned Parenthood of Ohio President Iris Harvey at a rally Wednesday outside the Statehouse. That case legalized abortion up until viability, usually at 22-24 weeks. Supreme Court case striking down the 1973 Roe v. We're excited about it."Īnti-abortion groups such as Ohio Right To Life say they intend the bill to trigger a U.S. "Will there be a lawsuit? Yeah, we are counting on it," said state Rep. Since taking office in January, DeWine had said he planned to sign whichever version of the heartbeat bill ended up on his desk. We will fight to the bitter end to ensure that this bill is permanently blocked.īut DeWine and lawmakers said they aren't dissuaded by the threat of legal action.