COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Senate passed a bill banning abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, however they amended the bill to give women some more time to legally end pregnancies than previously proposed.

Under the version of House Bill 258 that passed in the House, abortions were prohibited as soon as six weeks, when a transvaginal ultrasound can detect the heartbeat. However, senators changed the bill to clarify that transvaginal ultrasounds weren’t required and that other forms of heartbeat detection technology could be used. In abdominal ultrasounds, the other common imaging technology, heartbeats are detected at around 12 weeks.

The result of the amendment is that women would have more time to make a choice about a pregnancy. At six weeks, many women don’t even know they’re pregnant.

“It’s my understanding a transvaginal ultrasound could possibly detect a heartbeat earlier than an external heartbeat detection method,” said Sen. David Burke, who was behind the amendment. “But we found that process is possibly intrusive. We wanted to protect the rights of women who didn’t wish to have that done to them because their doctor may be under the impression that that’s the only thing that bill allows.”

Jaime Miracle of NARAL-Pro Choice Ohio said that abdominal heartbeats are detected closer to the end of a pregnancy’s first trimester.

“This makes it much more similar to Arkansas’ version (of the bill) than to Iowa’s and North Dakota’s version,” she said. “So by pushing to an abdominal ultrasound or other methods, this will push back the point at which they can detect a fetal heartbeat.”

Miracle said the bill remains dangerous, however, since there aren’t exceptions for rape and incest and only limited exceptions for the woman’s health. She hopes Gov. John Kasich will make good on a previous threat to veto it.

HB 258 heads back to the Ohio House, which has to vote on whether to concur with the Senate’s changes. If it does, then the bill heads to Kasich’s desk. He vetoed a similar ban in 2016. It’s unclear whether the changes this year would make the bill any more appealing to the Republican.

Senate changes

The Senate passed the bill 18 to 13, largely on party lines.

Two people were absent from voting. For the Senate to override any potential Kasich veto, the chamber would need 20 votes.

In addition to the ultrasound change, a Senate committee made another change Wednesday morning to allow the State Medical Board of Ohio to call an emergency meeting after a physician is accused of performing an abortion after a heartbeat is detectable. At the meeting they could determine whether to suspend or revoke her license. Normally, the board would have to wait for a criminal conviction, which takes time, Burke said.

Miracle, of NARAL Pro-Choice, opposes the amendment because Mike Gonidakis, an attorney and lobbyist who is president of Ohio Right to Life, sits on the panel.

“That amendment just gave the president of Ohio Right to Life a blank check to go after doctors in our state,” she said.

The Senate committee also considered five amendments proposed by Columbus Democrat Sen. Charleta Tavares, some of which were taken up again, unsuccessfully, on the Senate floor.

Among the amendments: To make exceptions in the bill for rape and incest, which are currently absent; to broaden the medical exceptions under which a woman can proceed with an abortion; and to offer young people factual sex education since abortions will likely not be an option.

She also offered an amendment that would require health insurances to cover maternity services, since women will have to give birth. Interestingly, Sen. Peggy Lehner, a Republican who is a vociferous abortion opponent, asked Tavares if she’d be willing to sponsor the message as a stand-alone bill.

Tavares replied that she’s tried to get provisions passed, and they’ve all failed.

Bill in the House

The 132nd Ohio General Assembly officially ends Dec. 31, the remaining days when lawmakers push through bills at a frenzied pace is known as “lame duck.”

In addition to HB 258, there is another abortion bill being pushed by the Republican supermajority during lame duck, Senate Bill 145, which would ban the surgical abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation -- or D&E -- which is used

The procedure is used typically from weeks 13 to 24, and is the most common type of second-trimester abortion.

The Senate previously passed SB 145. The House could pass it as soon as Thursday.