John Kasich signs 20-week abortion ban but vetoes ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill

The Ohio governor has vetoed stricter provisions which barred the procedure at the first fetal heartbeat

Pro-choice supporters rally outside the Supreme Court before the June 2016 court ruling in a case that imposed heavy restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas and was struck down (EPA)

The governor of Ohio has signed a bill which bans abortion at 20 weeks, one of the most harshest laws against women’s reproductive rights in the country.

John Kasich has vetoed other bills, however, including the so-called "heartbeat" bill which bans the procedure as soon as the first fetal heartbeat is heard.

That can happen as soon as six weeks, before most women even know they are pregnant.

Opponents of the heartbeat bill SB 127 predicted that the Republican governor would find it unconstitutional.

Similar measures elsewhere have faced legal challenges.

Even the state's oldest anti-abortion group, Ohio Right to Life, urged the governor to bypass the bill - this time. The group wants to pass the bill, but only wants to push it through when the Supreme Court has an anti-abortion majority.

The same group approved his measure to pass the 20-week ban, however, claiming he had "saved countless babies" and "positioned the state to directly challenge Roe v Wade".

Roe V Wade was passed in 1973 and constitutionally guarantees a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.

"At no time in our state’s history have we had such protective pro-life laws, and we have governor Kasich and our pro-life legislature to thank," said the group's president, Mike Gonidakis, in a statement.

Mr Kasich is pro-life and he is an advocate of defunding Planned Parenthood, a family planning and health clinic which provides many services for women and men, including cancer screenings.

There is no exception after 20 weeks, even for women who have been raped or were a victim of incest.

There is a "medical emergency" exception in the bill, but it is misleading and would unlikely save a woman's life, according to NARAL states communications director James Owens.

"The 'medical emergency' envisioned by the law is not considered a health exception because it requires a woman to literally be on death's [door]," he said in an email to Romper.

"The law's language is a fig leaf deliberately used by politicians trying to ban abortion who don't want to come across as unreasonable. It's a totally fake 'exception' that has nothing to do with standard medical practice."

Fetal viability is usually determined after 24 weeks. The 20-week ban is based on discredited research that claims a fetus can feel pain at that point of gestation.

A 20-week ban is now in effect in 15 states and was blocked in two others. The president-elect Donald Trump has expressed approval for both defunding Planned Parenthood and banning abortion at 20 weeks.

The governor's veto is not the final word. If Ohio lawmakers want to push the legislation through, they would need a three-fifths majority in each chamber.

The same day that Mr Kasich vetoed the heartbeat bill, the Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out a law requiring abortion clinics to have doctors with admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the facility.

The court said that law would violate the state and federal constitution. A similar measure was also knocked down in Texas over the summer.

It was signed by Republican governor Mary Fallin in 2014 - a potential appointee to Mr Trump's cabinet - but the courts blocked it from taking effect.