The Unconstitutionality of Ohio’s House Bill 125: The Heartbeat Bill as Analyzed Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution

Jessica Knopp, an associate in the Vorys Akron office and a member of the litigation group, authored an article for the 2012 edition of the Akron Law Journal titled “The Unconstitutionality of Ohio’s House Bill 125: The Heartbeat Bill as Analyzed Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”  

The article focuses on a piece of pro-life legislation introduced in 2011, Ohio’s House Bill 125, which is commonly referred to as “The Heartbeat Bill.”  According to the article, if passed into law, H.B. 125 would require physicians to check the fetus of a pregnant woman for a “heartbeat.” If the fetus had any detectable cardiac activity, the physician would be required to inform the woman in writing, and the woman would be required to sign a form acknowledging the fetal cardiac activity. Additionally, if the fetus is found to have cardiac activity, the woman would be banned from having an abortion unless it was a medical emergency.

 To read the article, visit the Akron Law Journal website.