Niehaus Punts on Heartbeat Bill

Release:

(Columbus) - Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus issued the following statement today regarding House Bill 125, also known as the Heartbeat Bill:

"Supporters of the bill delivered more than 20 amendments on Wednesday, asking us to make changes after months of deliberation in both the House and Senate. These eleventh hour revisions only serve to create more uncertainty about a very contentious issue. We've now heard hours of testimony that indicate a sharp disagreement within the pro-life community over the direction of this bill, and I believe our members need additional time to weigh the arguments. Therefore, I have asked the committee chairman to suspend hearings on the bill so we can consider the new amendments and determine the best course of action.

Let me be clear that our majority caucus is staunchly pro-life, and we will take every responsible step to advance the protection of unborn children. We've already accomplished more this year in defense of life than any previous General Assembly in the history of the state. But we cannot move forward on a bill that has so far created more confusion than consensus.

It's my hope that the interested parties can use this time to resolve their differences and produce a reasonable compromise."