Ohio’s Heartbeat bill took effect on Friday, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade. The state’s abortion ban was passed three years ago, but the federal courts blocked the bill from taking effect in the state. Within hours of the U.S. Supreme Court reversal of the 1973 decision that made abortion access a constitutional right, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a motion to immediately dissolve that court’s injunction.
The bill will ban abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detected which is usually after 6 weeks. Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted says he knows that people are going to disagree with the bill, but he hopes that in the end, it will build better support for crisis pregnancy centers and adoption programs.
“I know that I started out life in a foster home and was eventually adopted,” says Husted. “I am very blessed by that. I hope that my story can help people understand that you know, maybe an unwanted pregnancy could turn out to be a good thing. In my case it was. But understand people who disagree with us on that.”
Ohio is one of nine states that have abortion bans in place, other states could take up the law because of the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
