Ohio’s State Legislature Continues to Propose Pro-life Legislation

Ohio is already one of the most restrictive states in terms of access to abortions and general reproductive healthcare- and still the state legislature is attempting to further stifle abortion clinics and the women who use them. Just this year, the state introduced a bill requiring that aborted fetuses be buried or cremated (with the cost of either option being paid for by the clinic) and a bill which outright bans abortion, even in the cases of rape or incest. And while the bill banning abortion doesn’t have strong support in either the House or Senate, the bill on fetal remains has already passed the Senate with a strong majority.

The restrictions that the Ohio State Legislature is advocating for largely focus on issues other than abortion in a way that directly affects abortion clinics or suppresses women’s rights. For example, the fetal remains bill does little more than ensure that clinics are faced with overwhelming costs for performing abortions in the name of “promot[ing] and honor[ing] the dignity of the unborn” (in reality, the methods of disposal are perfectly legal and accepted ways of disposing of medical waste and women are almost always given the option to bury or cremate her unborn child if she so chooses). Other bills use justifiable causes to strip women of their rights - most notably the hotly-contested bill that bans abortions on fetuses unequivocally diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Bills like these use Down Syndrome as a “pawn” to restrict women’s right to privacy with her physician (these types of protections were established before Roe v. Wade and Griswold v. Connecticut and remain an integral part of the relationship between doctor and patient). And they do little to actually support children and adolescents with Down Syndrome. But State Legislatures are certain that these bills are not only saving lives but serving a bigger purpose - getting anti-abortion bills challenged in court.

Ohio has a long-standing history of ambitious pro-life legislation. So much so the state is currently being sued for a bill that prevents women from having an abortion if Down Syndrome was detected in fetal tests. This is the fourth instance in recent memory in which the state has been sued due to controversial and often unconstitutional anti-abortion bills. Yet, while the state pays out millions of dollars defending this type of legislation, it has a purpose. Namely, Ohio Representatives are attempting to have their bill reach the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. This can be seen most explicitly with the state’s most recent anti-abortion bill that attempts to completely ban abortion. The bill clearly violates the Roe v. Wade’s (and subsequent cases’) ruling, but that’s the point. Just like Mississippi (which has the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country and a governor who wants to eradicate abortion from the state), Ohio’s Representatives want to not only end abortion in the state, but also send a bill to the Supreme Court in hopes of preventing abortion nationwide.

Works Cited

Balmert, J. (2018, January 17). Abortion: Ohio Senate passes bill on fetal remains. Retrieved from https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/17/ohio-senate-passes-bill-require-aborted-fetuses-buried-cremated/1040563001/

Held, A. (2018, February 15). ACLU Sues To Halt ‘Unconstitutional’ Down Syndrome Abortion Law in Ohio: The Two-Way: NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/15/586014513/aclu-sues-to-halt-unconstitutional-down-syndrome-abortion-law-in-ohio

Rosenberg, G. (2018, March 20). Ohio GOP Introduces Bill to Ban Abortion: The Two-Way: NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/20/595211551/ohio-gop-introduces-bill-to-ban-abortion

[Senate Bill 28]. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Ohio Legislature website: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-votes?id=GA132-SB-28

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