New Anti-Abortion Bill Introduced to Ohio Legislation
Words by Alex Kamczyc
In 1973, Roe v. Wade, a supreme court case dealing with the legality of abortion in the United States set the precedent for reproduction rights in America. The case ended in a 7-2 decision in favor of allowing women the right to getting an abortion. A decision which has since prompted a national debate.
A debate that could reemerge because of a new bill, HB 565, introduced to Ohio Legislation on Monday March 19. House Bill 565, a primarily GOP backed bill, focuses on what abortions are prohibited and punishment for those involved.
“House Bill 565 or ‘Life at Conception,” bill. What it basically says is that the state of Ohio recognizes the unborn as humans,” said Representative Ron Hood one of the main sponsors of the bill. “Therefor they have all the protections of a state law that a human would have.What it does is recognize the unborn from the time of conception as a human being, which they are.”
The bill would ban all cases of abortion, including in instances of rape, incest and complications to the woman’s health. Penalties would be given to both doctors and women for an abortion and could result in a life sentence or a death sentence.
The bill was initially sponsored by Representative’s Ron Hood and Nino Vitale and soon backed by 18 other GOP lawmakers all of which are male. Vitale, a strong anti-abortion advocate, has an entire page dedicated to explaining his stance on abortion rights in Ohio.
“I believe life begins at conception and ends at natural death,” said Vitale. “…And if the mother decides, for personal reasons, this is not the right time for her to raise a child; adoption is a loving option that gives a child a chance at life.”
Ohio has made numerous attempts at passing laws either banning or restricting access to facilities that provide abortion services. In 2016, Governor John Kasich vetoed the “Heartbeat Bill,” a bill that would prevent abortions if a fetus’ heartbeat could be detected. A bill that was also introduced by Representative Hood. More recently, a judge has just blocked a bill preventing women from getting an abortion if the baby had down syndrome, a week before HB 565 was introduced.
The American Civil Liberties Union has also sued the state of Ohio four times over restrictions regarding abortion.
Despite this, Ohio has added several small restrictions to getting an abortion. Last year, Kasich signed off on a bill that would prevent those seeking an abortion from getting one after 20 weeks of being pregnant.
Critics of the new bill have spoken out on the matter, calling it nothing more than a blatant attempt at trying to reopen Roe v. Wade. NARAL Pro Choice Ohio, a pro-abortion organization dedicated to ensuring abortion rights to those who may need it, released a statement regarding the new bill on its website.
“Anti-choice extremists from the Ohio Statehouse to the White House are lining up their dominoes to topple Roe v. Wade and punish those who seek or provide abortion care,” said Kellie Copeland, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. “For those who doubt the seriousness of this attack, let me remind you that President Trump said that a woman who has an abortion should be punished, Vice President Pence allowed Purvi Patel to be imprisoned in Indiana for a miscarriage, and both GOP candidates for governor of Ohio have pledged to outlaw all abortions with no exceptions.”
Though wide spread bans on abortion like this have had a tough time holding up in court, whether or not this bill will gain any traction in Ohio legislation has yet to be seen. However, for Hood and those in support of the bill, this could be a huge step for the anti-abortion movement in Ohio.
“I want to stop the slaughter of innocent children,” said Hood. “My hope is that we can pass this bill and it will ultimately go before the supreme court and overturn Roe v Wade.”
