[Townhall] Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) vetoed legislation Friday that would’ve banned abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat which is usually at around six weeks into a pregnancy.Kasich identifies as pro-life but argued in his veto statement that the bill was likely unconstitutional and would result in a costly court battle for the state.
"As governor I have worked hard to strengthen Ohio’s protections for the sanctity of human life, and I have a deep respect for my fellow members of the pro-life community and their ongoing efforts in defense of unborn life," he said. "However, the central provision of Sub. H.B. 258, that an abortion cannot be performed if a heartbeat has been detected in the unborn child, is contrary to the Supreme Court of the United States’ current rulings on abortion.
"The State of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and, as the losing party, the State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers," he said.