A last-minute effort by conservative Republicans to bring the “heartbeat bill” to a House floor vote failed on Tuesday.
Rep. Matt Lynch, a Bainbridge Township Republican, planned to add the anti-abortion legislation to a bill tackling infant mortality, but House GOP leaders prevented the move by putting the bill on hold.
Lawmakers could add legislation that hasn’t yet reached the floor to other bills in an attempt to force votes as the current two-year legislative session comes to a close this week or next.
Legislation banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected — as early as six weeks — cleared a House committee last month but has yet to receive a full House vote. Similar legislation passed the Ohio House in 2011 but was blocked in the Senate by then-president Tom Niehaus.
The legislation has divided anti-abortion advocates. Ohio Right to Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion organization, has opposed the legislation because it fears it would trigger years of court battles over its constitutionality. Gov. John Kasich has said he shares those concerns.
Similar legislation passed in Arkansas and North Dakota is on hold while being challenged in federal court.
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