Changes proposed to Ohio's 'heartbeat' abortion bill

COLUMBUS (AP) — A list of suggested revisions to an Ohio bill that would ban abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat range from clarifying tweaks to what gets reported on a pregnant woman’s medical records.

If enacted, the bill would impose the nation’s most-stringent abortion limit.

The Ohio Senate president suspended hearings on the legislation last week, saying the roughly 20 amendments proposed by bill supporters were creating confusion.

The proposed revisions were released today to The Associated Press through a public records request.

Some changes would align the bill with other abortion measures and court rulings. One adjustment clarifies that a physician should use appropriate means of detecting the heartbeat, not a specific test. Physicians would be required to note the method and results on the woman’s medical records.