Abortion opponents go too far

Toledo Blade: After a narrow defeat in the General Assembly in last year’s lame-duck session, abortion opponents plan another round of restrictions on reproductive rights. The anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life’s agenda for this year includes imposing unconstitutional restrictions on abortion that threaten women’s health programs.

Gov. John Kasich must honor his commitment to public health — and the Constitution — and veto these Draconian measures if they reach his desk.

WHAT’S PLANNED

Ohio Right to Life, along with lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Statehouse, plan to push legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks, based on the medically unsupported claim that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks.

That and other restrictive bills would, if enacted, mark some of the most dangerous restrictions on reproductive rights since Gov. John Kasich approved a package of anti-abortion measures in 2013.

Abortion opponents argue that these laws protect women’s health. In fact, they aim to make it prohibitively difficult for women to access the reproductive health care they need. State officials must not allow a vocal minority’s extreme views to dictate women’s health care decisions.