New Bill Requires Filing Of Fetal Heartbeat Life Certificate

(ONN) – A newly introduced bill in the Ohio House would require the registration of all fetal deaths and create a new reporting requirement once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

House Bill 754 is sponsored by Republican State Representative Jean Schmidt.

Under the bill, all fetal deaths would be required to be registered with the state, regardless of gestational age.

Current law generally requires registration only for fetal deaths at or beyond 20 weeks.

The legislation also creates a new requirement for a “certificate of life”, requiring that a provider who detects a fetal heartbeat during an examination must file this certificate within 10 days and provide a copy to the pregnant woman.