Ohio advocacy groups voice their opinions on HB 565
Words by Alex Cossin
House Bill 565 (HB 565), introduced March 19, would prohibit all abortions in the state. This includes instances of rape, incest or danger to the woman’s life.
The proposed bill would characterize an “unborn human” as a person under Ohio’s code regarding homicide. This would allow criminal charges against both doctors and pregnant women dealing with abortions. Possible punishments could go as far as life in prison or the death penalty.
“We believe all life begins at conception,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right for Life.
Gonidakis said that Ohio Right for Life does not support legislation that isn’t thoroughly ironed out before passage. “We support the legislators that have introduced the bill,” Gonidakis said.
Gonidakis referenced the big election coming up and the summer recess for legislators as hurdles for HB 565. “The governor has signed every Right to Life bill, but he also vetoed the heartbeat bill because he worried about its constitutionality,” Gonidakis said.
Gonidakis said that he couldn’t see a scenario where the bill would go through unless Governor Kasich signed on. “I don’t speak for the governor and we don’t know what he’s thinking,” Gonidakis said.
Ohio Right to Life is an anti-abortion advocacy group. As per their website, “The mission of Ohio Right to Life is to promote and defend the right to life of all innocent human beings, from the time of fertilization until natural death.”
Right to Life Northeast Ohio did not comment at the time of this story.
The bills primary sponsors are Representatives Ron Hood and Nino Vitale. 18 other House Republicans have signed on to the bill regarding women’s rights, 16 men and two women.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio called the bill “a clear effort to provide the U.S. Supreme Court with a case to overturn Roe v. Wade,” in a press release on March 19.
“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, executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, in the press release.
“With Sen. Sherrod Brown up for election this fall, and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy considering retirement this summer, the battle to keep abortion safe and legal will be decided by Ohio voters in 2018. NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and our supporters will be relentless in our efforts to stop this dangerous agenda in its tracks,” Copeland said.
“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,”
“What we are seeing today is the culmination of 45 years of maneuvering from anti-choice forces. What we do in this election and this legislative session could well determine the fate of Roe v. Wade for generations to come,”
Ohio legislature has reinforced its stance on abortion restrictions in recent years, primarily with proposals of many heartbeat bills in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
The 2011 bill, HB 125, was introduced by state legislature and ultimately shelved by the Republican majority Senate to avoid any controversy.
A bill similar to HB 125 was introduced in 2013, HB 248.
2015’s HB 69 passed the Ohio House of Representatives but faced stiff opposition from Kasich.
2016’s heartbeat bill was attached to an unrelated bill, HB 493, that previously passed the Ohio House of Representatives. The bill returned to the house and was passed the same day. The bill would make abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat a fifth-degree felony except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger. Kasich vetoed the bill in December 2016.
