Ohio Governer Mike Dewine signed into law Senate Bill 23 Thursday which effectively bans abortion for the vast majority of the tens of thousands of Ohio women who currently seek abortion yearly.
Dubbed by supporters as a “heartbeat bill,” the law abolishes abortion once a heartbeat is detected in the fetus, which is at 5 ½ or 6 weeks after gestation, before many women know they are pregnant, and earlier than most women are currently able to access abortion.
The bill makes no exception for women who have been raped, but provides an exception if a women’s health is at risk.
Freda Levenson, the Legal Director of ACLU of Ohio, said the ACLU will sue, and expects the courts to rule in their favor, and if it is appealed they will continue to fight the case. Levenson pointed to the fact that multiple other states have passed similar bills and they have all been struck down by the courts.