Based on medical research which apparently has found an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be heard as soon as 18 days after conception, Ohio State legislators are proposing a time limit bill. This would stop abortion being carried out beyond 18 days.

Called the Heartbeat Bill, it is being proposed by Republican Lynn Wachtmann. He recently told Fox News in the USA that out of the 99 representatives in Ohio’s State House he has the support of 42 of them. The bill does contain emergency measures however which will allow abortion beyond the 18 day limit on medical grounds.

Welcoming this proposed legislation, Janet Folger Porter, president of conservative advocacy group Faith2Action told reporters: “When the Heartbeat Bill passes it will be the most protective law in the nation.”

The new bill has also been prompted by figures released by the Ohio State Health Department which said that 56.6% of abortions carried out in Ohio were done so within the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. As such, proponents of the new bill want to reduce this time significantly.

On the opposing side, a spokeswoman for one pro abortion group who is actively campaigning against the Ohio bill said: “Our state is facing crushing budget deficits and talking about slashing Medicaid funding for thousands of Ohio women, yet these politicians are focusing on an extreme and unconstitutional bill that, if passed, would entangle our state in a costly legal battle.”

However the pro-choice campaigners may be able to take heart as even pro-life organisations don’t expect the bill to succeed. Ohio Right to Life executive director Michael Gonidakis told Fox News: “Unfortunately, the Heartbeat Bill will not survive a court challenge, and therefore not save one life.”

He added: “Because the Supreme Court, unfortunately, has ruled on countless occasions that any restrictions on abortion pre-viability are unconstitutional.”