The Heartbeat Bill. Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus, leader of the Ohio Senate, put a stop November 27, 2012, to the most stringent restriction on abortions in the nation--the Heartbeat Bill. The bill passed the House in June 2011 and proposed banning abortions after the first fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. This is the point usually when most women don't even know they are pregnant. Backers of the bill hoped it would provoke a legal challenge with the potential to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalized abortions up until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks. The bill has been put on hold for more pressing matters, like the economy.