The Quinnipiac University poll poses this: There’s a bill before the state legislature that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable, usually 6 to 8 weeks into pregnancy. Do you support or oppose this bill? Forty five percent of Ohioans say they support it and 46 percent say they oppose it.
A lead supporter, Janet Folger Porter says more than 45% in this new poll would’ve identified themselves as heartbeat bill backers if the question had been asked differently. Ohio Right to Life’s Mike Gonadakis, says if a followup question had been asked about negative and unintended consequences from the bill, support would’ve been lower.
Kellie Copeland with NARAL Pro Choice Ohio says the poll also shows that only 16 percent of Ohioans say abortion should be illegal in all cases. She says since there are no exceptions for rape, incest, and fetal anomolies in the heartbeat, only a handful of abortions would be allowed. The heartbeat bill is stuck in an Ohio Senate committee. The president of the Senate says he doesn’t expect the issue to come up again before the primary election.