Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoes controversial pro-life 'heartbeat bill

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich is going to be met with a lot of rancor from pro-life advocates after vetoing the controversial "heartbeat bill" Tuesday:

The bill would have banned abortions as soon as a heartbeat was detectable, which can be as early as six weeks gestation in some cases. Opponents were gearing up for a constitutional battle over the bill that would test how far the law recognizes a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.

Kasich did, however, sign SB 127, a bill banning abortion after 20 weeks gestation.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

“I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said in a statement.

With the Heartbeat Bill folded into House Bill 493, Kasich used his line-item veto to single out and remove the abortion language since it was accompanied by a $100,000 appropriation to create the Joint Legislative Committee on Adoption Promotion. He signed the other portion of the bill, dealing with child-abuse reporting requirements, into law.

Kasich approved banning abortions after 20 weeks by signing Senate Bill 127, an Ohio Right to Life-supported bill, that forbids termination of "a human pregnancy of a pain-capable unborn child."

The 20-week ban that Kasich signed mirrors bans in many other states and will likely help him deflect some criticism from pro-life advocates over the veto.