Tagged: Abortion

 The Ohio Senate's Republican leader says he's asking a group of state lawmakers to review legal questions related to a bill that would ban abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.

President Tom Niehaus said Tuesday he wants the group to vet any legal issues and report back to him in November.

The measure called the "heartbeat bill" passed the Ohio House in June, but has stalled in the Senate.

Ohio Right to Life has taken issue with the bill, fearing a legal challenge could jeopardize other abortion limits in Ohio and expand access to legal abortions.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio Senate has approved a bill that contains new requirements before a minor can be allowed to have an abortion without her parents agreeing to it.

Under the bill, a judge considering whether to let a girl bypass the state's parental consent requirement would have to ask if she understands the physical and emotional impacts of having an abortion. The judge also must ask the girl if she was coached on how to answer such questions.

The Senate passed the measure Tuesday on a 23-8 vote.

Backers of what would be the farthest-reaching ban on abortion in the country were back at the Statehouse today. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler reports on the newest effort to push the so-called "Heartbeat Bill" through the Senate, almost three months after it passed the House.