Ohio governor signs Down syndrome abortion ban

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio's governor signed a controversial bill into law Friday that bans abortions after a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, signed the bill despite concerns that it could be found unconstitutional. Those fears prompted him to veto a different bill in 2016, a ban on abortions after six weeks gestation known as the "heartbeat bill."

In 2015 the governor told CNN he would sign a ban on abortions based on Down syndrome. The law will take effect March 22, 90 days from now.

The GOP-backed bill penalizes doctors who perform abortions after a fetus has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

► Dec. 13: Ohio lawmakers OK Down syndrome abortion ban

► Dec. 8: Police: Woman punched herself in stomach to end her 24-week pregnancy

► Nov. 1: Ohio House passes bill to ban abortion after Down syndrome diagnosis

Physicians would face a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. They also could lose their license to practice medicine and face lawsuits if a woman is injured or dies because of the prohibited abortion.

Just two other states have similar laws. The legislation was found unconstitutional in Indiana, and North Dakota's 2013 ban is not enforced because the state's sole abortion clinic does not perform the procedure after 16 weeks gestation.

Proponents say law will save lives. American women choose to terminate pregnancies 50% to 85% of the time after receiving a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome, according to a study published in 2012 in the medical journal Prenatal Diagnosis.

► Oct. 10: Anti-abortion groups target red-state Dems over 20-week abortion ban

► Sept. 28: Judge blocks ultrasound mandate of Kentucky abortion law

"Every Ohioan deserves the right to life, no matter how many chromosomes they have," Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, said in a release after the Legislature's vote.

However, opponents say the ban is one of many passed in recent years to make abortion less accessible in Ohio, that it shames women and that it will prevent them from having honest conversations with their doctors following a Down syndrome diagnosis.

"When a woman receives a diagnosis of Down syndrome during her pregnancy, the last thing she needs is Governor Kasich barging in to tell her what's best for her family," Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, said in a statement following the bill's signing.

► Aug. 24: Chile eases one of the world's strictest abortion bans

► June 29: Injunction issued against Indiana abortion law targeting minors

"This law does nothing to support families taking care of loved ones with Down syndrome," she said. "Instead it exploits them as part of a larger anti-choice strategy to systematically make all abortion care illegal.”

The ban also has sparked debate within the community of people with developmental disabilities. Some worried that singling out a fetus with Down syndrome would make a statement that others were less worthy of life.

Follow Hannah Sparling and Jessie Balmert on Twitter: @hksparling and @jbalmert