Ohio banned abortion after 6 weeks. What other bills are lawmakers working on?

Ohio's six-week abortion ban became law last month, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and returned control of the procedure to states.

In Ohio, abortions are illegal after cardiac activity is detected, which usually occurs around six weeks gestation and before many people know they're pregnant. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, which got renewed attention after a Columbus man was charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana to get an abortion. The case drew the attention of President Joe Biden and made international news.

Abortion in Ohio: Ohio AG Dave Yost cast doubt on 10-year-old rape victim case, now 'rejoices' at arrest

After six weeks, abortion is only allowed in Ohio if it's necessary to save the pregnant person's life or prevent "serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."

But Ohio lawmakers aren't done changing the state's abortion laws. The GOP-controlled Legislature is expected to enact a full abortion ban later this year – likely after the November election – and several bills are floating around to regulate the procedure.

Here's a look at what's been proposed.

House Bill 704

State Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, and other Republicans introduced a bill this week that would ban all abortions, except to save the life of the pregnant person.

The proposal states that Ohio must "recognize the personhood, and protect the constitutional rights, of all unborn human individuals from the moment of conception." Advocates for abortion access worry that language could have a chilling effect on in vitro fertilization and certain forms of contraception.

House Bill 598/Senate Bill 123

This bill, introduced months before the U.S. Supreme Court decision, would have banned abortion in Ohio when Roe v. Wade was overturned. But lawmakers didn't pass it in time for the measure to take effect when the court ruled.

Under the proposal, doctors would face a fourth-degree felony, possible prison time and loss of their medical license for performing an abortion. If they were charged with this crime, physicians could argue that they performed the procedure to save the mother's life.

Called an "affirmative defense," doctors would need to prove that they took steps, such as filling out a written certification, that the abortion was medically necessary to save the person's life. A second doctor would need to sign off.

Proponents say this amounts to an exception for saving the mother's life, but critics contend it could cause doctors to think twice about what treatment they should provide.

There have been several committee hearings on the bill, but neither the House nor Senate have voted on it.

House Bill 480

This proposal is modeled after legislation in Texas and would allow anyone to sue a doctor who performs an abortion or a person who "aids or abets" an abortion. No action has been taken since it was introduced last year.

House Bill 378

This legislation would require doctors to inform those obtaining medication abortions that the procedure could be reversed – a claim that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says is not supported by science.

A House committee held a couple hearings on the measure earlier this year, but nothing has happened since then.

Senate Bill 304

This would require patients to be examined by a doctor before receiving a medication abortion, a move to block patients from obtaining abortion pills through the mail or telehealth. No committee hearings have been held on the bill.

President Joe Biden has moved to protect access to abortion medication nationwide, but it's unclear what that policy will look like in practice.

House Bill 421

State Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, proposed legislation last year that would require doctors to give patients the option to see their ultrasound and hear cardiac activity before the abortion is performed. It would also require providers to tell patients that abortion can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, depression and suicidal ideation.

The American Cancer Society and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say there's no research supporting a link between breast cancer and abortion.

Senate Joint Resolution 7

Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing for a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, contraception and infertility care.

The proposal isn't expected to go anywhere. A constitutional amendment proposed by state lawmakers requires three-fifths of each chamber to support it, and Democrats don't hold a majority in the House or the Senate.

USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reporters Titus Wu and Anna Staver contributed to this report.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio abortion law: What bills state lawmakers are considering