After more than a year of hearings, revisions and disputes, Ohio's "heartbeat bill" - a nickname for House Bill 125 - was dropped Tuesday, Nov. 27, following a decision made by Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus.
The bill would have banned any abortions after the first fetal heartbeat is recognized, which generally occurs around six to eight weeks into the pregnancy. Had it cleared the Ohio Senate, the "heartbeat bill" would have made Ohio the most restrictive state in the U.S. regarding the issue of abortion, according to Sen. Nina Turner (D), Minority Whip for the state of Ohio.
"It would have essentially made abortions illegal in the state of Ohio," Turner said.
The so-called "heartbeat bill" passed the House in June 2011 and has since been under consideration in the Senate, according to Turner. Niehaus chose not to allow the bill to be raised for a vote on the floor of the Ohio State Senate. As Senate President, he has full jurisdiction over the continuation or demise of a bill.
"Questions arose regarding the wording of the bill," Republican Senator Bill Coley said. "It just wasn't ready yet."
Coley represents District 4, which encompasses Miami University and surrounding Butler County.
Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion organization, had reservations regarding the bill.
"We spent the better half of a year trying to iron out differences and make sure the bill did no harm if passed," Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life, said. "We were the organization that raised concerns in 2011. It caused a great deal of consternation for those that supported the bill, but our job is to tell the truth, at all times, no matter what."
This recent stir in the state of Ohio has not escaped the notice of some of Miami's politically active students.
"The Republican senators who dropped the bill were aware that, if passed, it could be deemed unconstitutional," Baylor Myers, senior and co-chair of College Republicans, said. "Therefore, judicial activism could have reduced regulations on abortions... Many anti-abortion advocates also shared this concern that the bill could have indirectly been counterproductive. Ending the bill was strategic on behalf of the legislators."
"I'm happy that the bill is ended because we have so many more issues that we need to focus on instead," Laura Kretz, senior and President of College Democrats, said. "Like Niehaus stated, we have issues of jobs. There are more prevalent issues on the table . . . and we have to have our priorities in order."
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According to Senator Turner, the ideas behind House Bill 125 will likely be revisited in the next General Assembly. "It really isn't over; it's just over right now," Turner said. "It's a victory for those of us who are pro-choice, but only a temporary victory."
Senator Coley not only anticipates the resurfacing of this bill, but said he hopes for it as well.
"House Bill 125 may not have passed this General Assembly, but I look forward to the new one coming in this January," Coley said.
Coley said that the Senate has passed and signed seven anti-abortion bills into law this session, making it what he believed to be one of the most anti- abortion sessions Ohio has ever seen.
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