1. The legislation would prohibit most abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy after the first detectable heartbeat.
2. Similar measures elsewhere have faced legal challenges, and detractors in Ohio fear such legislation will lead to a costly fight in the courts. Opponents predict it will be found unconstitutional if it becomes law.
3. Republican Gov. John Kasich, an abortion opponent, has previously voiced concerns about whether such a move is constitutional. He has 10 days from passage to sign the bill.
4. The ban would make an exception if the mother’s life is in danger but not in cases of rape or incest.
5. Under the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion, states were permitted to restrict abortions after viability — the point when the fetus has a reasonable chance of surviving under normal conditions outside the uterus. The ruling offered no legal definition of viability, saying it could range between 24 and 28 weeks into a pregnancy
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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