Kasich’s final statehouse session: Ohio limits child marriage and relaxes gun laws

In a rare post-Christmas session on Thursday, December 27th, the Ohio state legislative house was unable to overturn former governor John Kasich’s veto of controversial House Bill 258, Ohio’s “Heartbeat Bill,” which would have made abortions up to as early as six weeks with a detection of a fetal heartbeat a criminal offense. Formerly, the bill had passed through the Republican-controlled house by a vote, mostly along party-lines, of 60-35. House Bill 258 would have made Ohio the fourth state to ban abortions–up to as early as six weeks and in some cases before a woman could detect her pregnancy–with the detection of a fetal heartbeat except to prevent death or seriously impairment.

“They’re forcing patients to be told medically inaccurate information,” said Gabriel Mann, Communications Manager of NARL PRO-Choice Ohio.

When asked if Mann believes future legislation that implements a six-week ban will be passed Mann cites a 2014 bill passed in Oklahoma that required physicians to have “admitting privileges” at a hospital within 30 miles that was blocked by the Supreme Court. Critics of the bill said this requirement put an unreasonable burden on physicians performing low-risk abortion procedures.

            “Wherever the bill has been challenged its been blocked.”

 The House was able to overturn Kasich’s veto of House Bill 228, “Regards self-defense and handling firearms” which shifts the burden of proof in use-of-force cases on prosecutors to prove defendants did not use self-defense. Ohio is the only state where, in use-of-force cases, the burden of proof rests on prosecutors.

Kim Rodecker, owner of Concealed Courses LLC, said in an interview with WKYC.com, “You don’t have to worry about a prosecutor coming after you if you did nothing wrong, they can’t let politics get into this anymore.”

State Representative Laura Lanese, the Republican representative of Grove City, sponsored a bill to limit child marriages which passed with bipartisan support.

“Between 2000 and 2014, 4,443 girls age 17 or younger were married in Ohio, including 59 who were 15 or younger,” according to an article by Dayton Daily News. “Also during that time, 301 boys age 17 or younger were married, including 25 to women who were age 21 or older.

Formerly in Ohio, the law required brides to be at least 16 years-of-age and grooms to be at least 18 years old. Now brides and grooms must be 18 years old. 17-year-olds of either sex can marry up to four years their senior with this new bill, but with a court mandated waiting period of two weeks and juvenile court approval. Ohioans of all ages seeking a marriage license are now required to present age-identifying documentation.

The Ohio House passed House Bill 425, a substitution on a version of the bill passed in June with wide bi-partisan support. The bill removes police body camera footage from Public Records in cases where the video is of confidential investigatory record, within a private home, private business, or is a video of a sex crime victim due to personal privacy reasons, and is regarded by Representative Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg), Substitution House Bill 425’s sponsor, as one a common ground solution between privacy and accountability.

The next senate session is on February 6^th, 2019.