Skip to main content
Back To Top Top Back To Top
The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Section 2919.192 | Determination of presence of fetal heartbeat.

 
You are viewing a past version of this section that is no longer in effect View Current Version

(A) If a person who intends to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman has determined, under section 2919.191 of the Revised Code, that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat, the person shall not, except as provided in division (B) of this section, perform or induce the abortion until all of the following requirements have been met and at least twenty-four hours have elapsed after the last of the requirements is met:

(1) The person intending to perform or induce the abortion shall inform the pregnant woman in writing that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a fetal heartbeat.

(2) The person intending to perform or induce the abortion shall inform the pregnant woman, to the best of the person's knowledge, of the statistical probability of bringing the unborn human individual possessing a detectable fetal heartbeat to term based on the gestational age of the unborn human individual or, if the director of health has specified statistical probability information pursuant to rules adopted under division (C) of this section, shall provide to the pregnant woman that information.

(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the person who intends to perform or induce the abortion believes that a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance with that division.

(C) The director of health may adopt rules that specify information regarding the statistical probability of bringing an unborn human individual possessing a detectable heartbeat to term based on the gestational age of the unborn human individual. The rules shall be based on available medical evidence and shall be adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code.

(D) This section does not have the effect of repealing or limiting any other provision of the Revised Code relating to informed consent for an abortion, including the provisions in section 2317.56 of the Revised Code.

(E) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of performing or inducing an abortion without informed consent when there is a detectable fetal heartbeat, a misdemeanor of the first degree on a first offense and a felony of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense.

Available Versions of this Section