Ohio legislators voted late Thursday to ban abortions after 20 weeks, sending one of the nation's strictest abortion laws to Gov. John Kasich (R).

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Groups that oppose abortion rights hailed the bill's passage as the first step toward challenging Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States.

"With the passage of this legislation, Ohio has taken a momentous step on the path to overturning Roe," Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said in a statement. "When enacted, this legislation will immediately begin saving hundreds of babies throughout Ohio, and be part of a national movement that will save thousands of lives."

It is the second major hurdle to abortion rights passed by Ohio's legislature in the last two days, after members of the Ohio House and Senate passed a so-called heartbeat bill that would ban abortion after as few as six weeks.

But even abortion rights opponents questioned whether the heartbeat bill would stand up to judicial scrutiny. Groups like Ohio Right to Life declined to endorse the heartbeat bill after similar laws had been struck down by other states.

Kasich, an opponent of abortion rights, has not said whether he will sign the heartbeat bill. He is likely to sign the 20-week ban.

Ohio currently bans abortions after 24 weeks of gestation, the point at which courts have ruled that a fetus would be viable outside the womb. Fifteen states ban abortions after 20 weeks, on the grounds that a fetus can feel pain.

Republican victories in state legislative chambers since 2010 have given abortion rights opponents new openings to challenge existing laws in many states.

Since 2011, the year Republicans took over scores of state legislative seats after the 2010 midterms, 334 measures restricting abortion rights have passed in 32 states across the country. Forty-four were enacted in 2016 alone, according to a tally by the Guttmacher Institute, not including the two passed this week by Ohio's legislature.