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How Ohio Lawmakers Voted on Abortion Bills

JO INGLES
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU

Ohio lawmakers recently passed two restrictive abortion bills, Senate Bill 145 and House Bill 258 (better known as the Heartbeat Bill). The debate over the bills has garnered attention in the national news.

What they proposed is controversial — the heartbeat bill prohibits abortion if the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, and Senate Bill 145 criminalizes dilation & extraction (D&E), a procedure used in the second trimester of a pregnancy which some term “dismemberment abortion.” Now, both bills are on their way to Governor John Kasich.

So what was the breakdown among lawmakers? In the Senate, all of the “Yeas” came from Republicans. Interestingly, though, some Senate Republicans who voted “Yea” on Senate Bill 145 then said “Nay” on the heartbeat bill (House Bill 258). Republicans John Eklund, Gayle Manning, Matt Dolan and Stephanie Kunze all pivoted.

In the House, things got more complicated. Most “Yeas” on Bill 258 came from Republicans — save for Democrats Bill Patmon and Glenn W. Holmes. “Nay” votes included Republicans Marlene Anielski, Steven Arndt, Rick Carfagna, Nathan Manning, Scott Ryan, Mike Duffey and Anne Gonzales.

Navigate the maps below to see the “Yeas” and “Nays.”

House of Representatives votes on HB 258 (Heartbeat Bill) and SB 145 (D&E Bill):

Senate votes on HB 258 (Heartbeat Bill) and SB 145 (D&E Bill):

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A Northeast Ohio native, Sarah Taylor graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she worked at her first NPR station, WMUB. She began her professional career at WCKY-AM in Cincinnati and spent two decades in television news, the bulk of them at WKBN in Youngstown (as Sarah Eisler). For the past three years, Sarah has taught a variety of courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State, where she is also pursuing a Master’s degree. Sarah and her husband Scott, have two children. They live in Tallmadge.
Cameron Gorman is a junior journalism major at Kent State. In student media, she has worked for the Kent Stater, The Burr and Transitions. She has also interned for WKYC, Cleveland Magazine and the Akron Beacon Journal.