New Ohio bill would restrict abortions

By Marc Kovac | January 28, 2015 at 12:02a.m.

COLUMBUS

Abortion opponents announced legislation Tuesday that would ban the procedure in Ohio 20 weeks into pregnancy.

Ohio Right To Life says the legislation would prohibit abortions at the point at which pre-born children can feel pain.

“It’s our No. 1 priority in Ohio,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life said of the coming legislation. “We’re going to use all of our political capital to get this passed.”

Four years ago, lawmakers passed, and Gov. John Kasich signed, legislation banning late-term abortions about 24 weeks after conception, in cases in which tests determine an unborn child could survive outside the womb.

Gonidakis said that legislation has not been challenged since its enactment and is law in Ohio. The law change and others passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in recent years have resulted in a 62 percent decrease in late-term abortions and a 37-year low in the number of reported abortions, he said.

The new legislation would set restrictions on abortions 20 weeks after conception.

More than a dozen other states have passed comparable bans that have withstood legal challenges, Gonidakis said.

Women’s health advocates quickly voiced opposition to the proposal.

“Sadly, some pregnancies don’t go as planned, resulting in devastating complications,” Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, said in a released statement. “In those cases, women should be able to consult with their doctors and make the best decision for their family. In 2011, Gov. Kasich enacted a law that forces women in these situations to leave Ohio to access the abortion care they need. Now he is poised to insert his political interference even earlier in a pregnancy.”

Ohio’s Heartbeat Bill fell short of the votes needed for passage in the House in December. Janet Porter, president of Faith2Action, the group that’s been pushing for passage of legislation that would ban abortions within weeks of conception, said the legislation would be reintroduced in coming weeks.

“We’re not going to be complacent and comfortable with regulating abortion when we could actually save a stadium full of children a year, and that’s what the Heartbeat Bill would do,” she said.