Republicans in Ohio Introduce Bill to Outlaw Abortion Once Heartbeat Is Detected: Do You Agree?
'World News' wants to hear from you.
Feb. 9, 2011 -- Ohio Republicans are expected to announce a bill today that would outlaw abortions from the moment a fetus' heartbeat is detected. The "heartbeat bill" is the fifth piece of legislation introduced in the past eight days intended to restrict access to abortions in the state.
"We are ground zero of what I believe will transform the pro-life movement," Janet Folger Porter, president of Faith2Action and an architect of the bill, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It will be the most protective legislation in the country."
Ohio Republicans control all three branches of the state's government, and are gearing up for a legal fight. But legal scholars doubt the heartbeat bill can survive in the courts.
Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor Jessie Hill told the Plain Dealer states are not allowed to outlaw abortions before a fetus is able to live outside the womb.
"They can regulate, but they can't prohibit them," Hill said. "And that is a proposition that is so widely recognized by courts."
Our question to you today: Do You Agree with the Proposed Restrictions on Abortion?
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