The Ohio Senate has passed legislation that would prohibit late-term abortions in the state.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would ban abortion after 20 weeks—roughly halfway through a pregnancy.
The Republican-controlled Senate approved the legislation last week in a 23-9 vote along party lines. The bill will be considered by the House, which is also dominated by Republicans.
The legislation contains a narrow exception for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest.
If imposed, the ban would affect a small number of pregnancies. According to Planned Parenthood, almost 99 percent of abortions in the U.S. occur before 21 weeks.
In an interview with The Daily Signal, bill sponsor Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, said that there is “mounting evidence” that the unborn feel pain by 20 weeks.
“We’re learning more and more from science and medicine, we’re seeing more and more evidence that the unborn feel pain at 20 weeks,” Hottinger said.
Hottinger said that many people who identify themselves as pro-choice support restrictions on late-term abortions.
Hottinger added that the U.S. is one of only seven countries—which also include North Korea and China—that permit abortion beyond 20 weeks.
State Sen. Charleta Tavares, D-Columbus, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the legislation would enact “one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country.”
“I trust women,” Tavares said. “I trust that we have the capabilities to make the decisions about what is best for us and our families.”
Ohio Right to Life has identified the bill as their “premier legislation for 2015.”
Stephanie Ranade Krider, the executive director of Ohio Right to Life, praised the “momentous” vote in a statement.
“With the Ohio Senate, we are leading Ohio down a historic path that is redefining the abortion debate in America,” Krider said.
“Ohio is poised to make a real difference in how we promote and protect the dignity of every human life in our state,” she added.
If passed by the House, Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, is expected to sign the legislation into law.
Kasich is reportedly preparing to launch a presidential campaign.
According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 60 percent of Americans and 59 percent of women support legislation banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
In May, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a federal Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Earlier this month, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced the legislation in the U.S. Senate.
