'Heartbeat' Abortion Bill To Make Return In Ohio

Abortion opponents in Ohio plan to resurrect a proposal to effectively ban the procedure after the first fetal heartbeat is detected - as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The bill's previous sponsor tells The Associated Press he and other lawmakers will announce plans to reintroduce the so-called "heartbeat bill" at a Thursday news conference. House Health Chairman Lynn Wachtmann, a Republican, said in a Wednesday interview that about 40 of the 99 Ohio House members have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. The abortion measure died last year after the Senate's GOP leader blocked it from a vote. He's since retired due to term limits. The measure had fiercely divided Ohio's anti-abortion community, with some fearing a court challenge could undo other abortion restrictions already in place.