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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Governor Mike DeWine Signs Heartbeat Bill

    Governor+Mike+DeWine+Signs+Heartbeat+Bill

    On Thursday, April 11th, the Heartbeat Bill was signed into law by Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine. The bill was passed by the Republican-led General Assembly just one day before DeWine signed it into law.  Now Ohio is the sixth state in the country to outlaw abortion after a heartbeat is detected.  The Governor’s intent is to sign the bill into law did not come as a surprise however, as he had told reports he would do it.

    The Law will go into effect in ninety days unless it is blocked by a federal judge before then. During the Ohio House of Representatives voting of the bill, they removed important protections. The new law does make an exception when the mother’s life is in danger; it does not make exceptions for rape or incest cases.

    The bill is now referred to as the  “Human Rights Protection Act,” and outlaws abortions as early as five or six weeks into a pregnancy. It also allows for the use of transvaginal ultrasounds to detect a fetal heartbeat even earlier in a pregnancy. Many women are unaware they are pregnant by the time a heartbeat can be detected. Ohio now has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

    Mike DeWine made the statement, “The essential function of government is to protect the most vulnerable among us, those who don’t have a voice. Government’s role should be to protect life from the beginning to the end”. He said this while signing the bill into law. In other states laws similar to this are in the process of being passed.

    These bills being voted on across the country are being challenged by many pro-life groups. In some states, bills restricting abortion are being ruled unconstitutional by federal judges. Governor DeWine is aware of the coming lawsuits that will question the constitutionality of the law. The passage of the laws in multiple states are aiming to trigger the overturn of Roe v Wade. 

    Lakewood High School student, Sofia Dunay, was shocked to hear that the bill was signed into law. She said she believes, “the law restricts the rights of women, and will leave many people in tough situations just because they didn’t know they were pregnant in time.”

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