GOP Hopefuls Support Ohio Abortion Bill

Three potential Republican presidential candidates – former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore – have all jumped in to support an Ohio abortion bill that would ban the procedure once a heartbeat is detected.

The Dayton Daily News reported Tuesday that Faith2Action, a faith-based group advocating for the bill’s passage, announced Monday that the national Republican figures agreed to back the bill. If it passes, it would be one of the strongest anti-abortion laws in the country.

The “Heartbeat bill” has already been approved by the House Health and Aging Committee, which is chaired by state Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Napoleon Republican who authored the bill.

“We’re anxiously waiting for our (House) speaker, Bill Batchelder, to schedule a vote in the full House to protect babies with beating hearts,” she said Monday.

It’s not yet clear if the House GOP caucus has enough members supporting the bill to pass it. But House leaders continue to examine the bill, and listen to constituents, a spokesman for Batchelder told the newspaper.