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Separate press conferences in Ohio cover both sides of abortion issue
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
A group of pastors called on Ohio lawmakers to act on a controversial bill banning abortions within weeks of conception.
Shortly thereafter, a group of Democratic lawmakers called on the Ohio House and Senate to act on legislation requiring emergency rooms to provide emergency contraceptives to rape victims seeking treatment.
The dueling press conferences Wednesday, scheduled an hour and a half apart in separate rooms on Capitol Square, further spotlighted the divide between those who want to protect the unborn and those who want to protect reproductive rights.
Neither bill appears to be on a fast track for passage.
House Bill 125, the Heartbeat Bill, would prohibit abortions whenever a fetal heartbeat can be detected. If passed, it would be the most restrictive abortion ban in the country.
The legislation passed the House last year but has stalled in the Senate after a couple of committee hearings.
Supporters believe the ban could serve as the vehicle for prompting the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The legislation also has caused a split among anti-abortion groups, and Ohio Right to Life is not supporting it.
Proponents of the Heartbeat Bill have had frequent press conferences and rallies, with hopes of persuading lawmakers to act.
Last week, they brought more than 50 youngsters to the Statehouse to distribute teddy bears, complete with fetal-heartbeat sound effects, to senators.
On Wednesday, proponents gathered more than 20 pastors from churches across the state to distribute letters to lawmakers voicing their congregations’ support of the Heartbeat Bill.
“It’s been almost a year since the bill was introduced in the House,” said Ernie Sanders, pastor of Doers of the Word Church in Cleveland. “We’re still here. We’re still determined. So stop the delay, we’re not going away. We’re going to be here until that bill is passed.”
He added, “My message to the Senate is, pass the bill; do your job.”
Democrats in the Ohio House and Senate, meanwhile, used their press conference Wednesday to urge passage of the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act.
The legislation would require hospital emergency rooms to provide information and emergency contraceptives to victims of rape who ask for them.
Comparable bills have been introduced at the Statehouse during the past several sessions, without action.
Proponents say the emergency contraception covered in the bill should not be considered abortions — rather, they would prevent conception from occurring in the hours after a rape.
“The General Assembly has been often preoccupied with trying to regulate a woman’s womb,” said Sen. Nina Turner, a Democrat from Cleveland. “Today, with our CARE Act, we are giving the General Assembly the opportunity to do what is right and what is in the best interest of the survivors of this terrible and life-altering crime.”
She added, “This bill is simply about choice and access ... and we pride ourselves in this nation and in this state with giving folks the ability to choose. And that right to choose should extend to survivors of the awful, horrendous crime of rape, as well.”