Division rules on abortion

Lawmakers were back in force at the Statehouse this week, sitting through legislative hearings, meeting with constituents and lobbyists and others interested in existing and proposed policies and moving bills from the floor.

More than half a dozen bills passed with near-unanimous support and little dissension. But then there was that bill to defund Planned Parenthood, the next chapter in an ongoing debate over abortion issues that leaves little room for compromise on either side.

A few Democrats occasionally will cross the aisle to support Republican-backed abortion restrictions. A few Republicans occasionally cross the aisle in opposition to those restrictions. But, overall, the two sides are firmly entrenched.

At the Statehouse, this leads to lengthy committee hearings and floor debates on legislation, complete with repetitive testimony and talking points and neither side convincing the other to give some ground.

That was the case on the bill to defund Planned Parenthood. People who don’t support abortions don’t want any public funds going to the group, whether those funds are used directly for abortions (they’re not) or for other needed health care services.

Enter Sen. Peggy Lehner, the Dayton-area Republican who, in the midst of a heated debate, offered a good summation of proponents’ position. She was unapologetic about her position on abortion.

“There’s nothing outdated about our respect for human life,” she said. “The bottom line is that Planned Parenthood performs one-third of the abortions performed in this country. For many of us, for many Ohioans, that is deeply, deeply offensive and strikes at the very core of our beliefs.”

CONCESSION TO GROUP

Lehner also acknowledged Planned Parenthood’s contributions to Ohio women and the need to ensure the services it provides remain available.

“Does Planned Parenthood do good? Yes, at times they do,” she said. “And because of those services that they provide, it is not enough for us to cancel the funding that goes to Planned Parenthood so that services that are necessary are no longer available. We have an obligation in this state to make sure that women have access to adequate health care, the best health care they can get. That children who are born have a chance to live to their first birthday and don’t die because of our policies that don’t put in place programs that fight infant mortality. ”

She added that the bill is necessary “only because Planned Parenthood has chosen – you like the word choice – they have chosen to be the leading abortion provider in this nation. You say, it’s only 3 percent of what they do. Well, if it’s only 3 percent, then perhaps they should be looking to say let’s drop abortion and concentrate on all those other things. For many of us, until that happens, we have an obligation to ourselves, to the unborn children in this state, to our citizens who share that value structure, to say to Planned Parenthood, until you get out of the business of termination of pregnancy, the destruction of human life, we are not going to choose to fund you.”

Did Lehner change anyone’s mind on the bill? No.

Will we hear the same floor debate when the House considers Senate amendments to the legislation? Yes.

Still, whether you agree with Lehner’s stance or not, you have to respect an elected official who is willing to give it to you straight.

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.