Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs Down syndrome abortion ban

COLUMBUS - Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a controversial bill into law on Friday that would ban abortions after a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Kasich, a Republican, signed the bill despite concerns it will be found unconstitutional. Those fears prompted him to veto a different bill in 2016, a ban on abortions after six weeks gestation, known as the "heartbeat bill."

The governor told CNN in 2015 that he would sign a ban on abortions based on Down syndrome. He made good on his word Friday. The law will take effect in 90 days.

Doc: Down syndrome and the rights of the unborn

The GOP-backed bill penalizes doctors who perform abortions because the fetus has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Physicians would face a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. They also could lose their license to practice medicine and face lawsuits if the woman is injured or dies because of the prohibited abortion.

Just two other states have similar laws. The legislation was found unconstitutional in Indiana. And North Dakota's 2013 ban is not enforced because the state's sole abortion clinic does not perform the procedure after 16 weeks gestation.

Proponents say the proposal will save lives. American women choose to terminate pregnancies between 50 and 85 percent of the time after receiving a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome, according to a study published in 2012 in the medical journal Prenatal Diagnosis.

"Every Ohioan deserves the right to life, no matter how many chromosomes they have," Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said in a release after the Legislature's vote.

Opponents, however, say the ban is one of many passed in recent years to make abortion less accessible in Ohio, that it shames women and that it will prevent them from having honest conversations with their doctors following a Down syndrome diagnosis. 

"When a woman receives a diagnosis of Down syndrome during her pregnancy, the last thing she needs is Governor Kasich barging in to tell her what's best for her family," said Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, in a statement following the bill's signing. "This law does nothing to support families taking care of loved ones with Down syndrome, instead it exploits them as part of a larger anti-choice strategy to systematically make all abortion care illegal.”

The ban has also sparked debate within the community of individuals with developmental disabilities. Some worried that singling out Down syndrome would make a statement that other children were less worthy of life.