Huckabee Endorses Ohio’s Anti-Abortion ‘Heartbeat’ Bill

The Ohio House will soon take up the a “Heartbeat” bill — a first of its kind, anti-choice bill that would outlaw an abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be medically detected, generally occurring around six or seven weeks. With the current ban on abortions set around 22 weeks, this bill would give Ohio “the most restrictive abortion law in the nation.”

Despite a failed-attempt to present the heartbeat of a nine-week old fetus for “testimony,” a House committee voted to 12-11 to bring the bill to the House floor. The bill sponsor, state Rep. Lynn Wachtmann (R), recently announced that, on top of 50 sponsors, likely GOP presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee has endorsed the bill:

“In addition to the majority of the Ohio House of Representatives, the 400 pro-life organizations and leaders who support the Heartbeat Bill now include Governor Mike Huckabee, State Treasurer Josh Mandel, Congressman Steve Chabot, former Secretary of State Ken Blackwelland the who’s-who of the pro-life movement,” said Representative Lynn Wachtmann, Sub. H.B. 125′s prime sponsor.
“After five weeks of hearings and a majority committee vote, this bill is ready to come before the full House of Representatives to protect babies with beating hearts.”

The radical bill is being pushed by the equally radical Faith2Nation’s Jane Porter, a believer in “dominion” theology — “the idea that Christians are called to take complete control over every aspect of human life in order to bring about the return of Christ” — and the former co-chair of Huckabee’s Faith and Family Values Coalition when he first ran for president.

Despite Porter’s belief that there’s no bill “with more support,” state House Speaker William Batchelder (R) isn’t convinced. Concerned “over the possible medical implications of the bill,” Batchelder (R) said that “there may be lawmakers who had previously supported the bill that might not now.”