Supporters of the so-called "heartbeat bill" vowed to unblock it with a discharge petition but were outmaneuvered Thursday when the Senate rules committee re-referred the bill to the same committee. The bill must remain there for 30 days — more time than remains in this legislative session.

The sudden move followed Senate President Tom Niehaus removing two Republican members from the committee.

The bill proposed banning most abortions after the first detectable fetal heartbeat. Backers hoped such a restriction would spark a legal challenge that could lead to overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion up until viability.