
Ohio’s governor, John Kasich, vetoed an amendment that recently passed the state legislature known as the “Heartbeat Bill,” that would have made it illegal to perform an abortion if a fetal heartbeat could be detected. This is typically at about the 6-week mark in a pregnancy.
However, he did sign a bill that makes abortions after 20 weeks illegal in the state. As CNN notes, in a statement, the governor said that vetoing the amendment would save state taxpayers in legal fees, because it would likely be challenged in court. He explained, “Similar legislation enacted in two other states has twice been declared unconstitutional by federal judges, and the Supreme Court declined to review those decisions.”