Ohio Senate kills anti-abortion 'heartbeat' bill

Republican Ohio state Senate President Tom Niehaus plans to let an extreme anti-abortion bill falter, according to the Associated Press.

Though the Ohio House passed the legislation last year, the Republican-led Ohio Senate will not vote on the bill before the end of the legislative session. Niehaus told the Associated Press he wanted the state legislature to focus on jobs and the economy.

The so-called "heartbeat" bill would have prohibited abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks. The bill did not provide exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother.

The bill split Ohio's pro-life community.

Ohio Right to Life declined to endorse the bill, believing it could not withstand a court challenge. The group Faith2Action, on the other hand, championed the bill.

Under Roe v. Wade, a woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy until the fetus is viable outside the womb, which is usually 22-24 weeks.