Statehouse News Bureau

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Ohio Republicans Again Propose Outlawing All Abortions In The State

By Jo Ingles

Published November 15, 2019 at 2:26 PM EST

Abortion ban protestors dressed in Handsmaid Tale costumes at Ohio Statehouse [Jo Ingles / Statehouse News Bureau] — Abortion ban protestors dressed in Handsmaid Tale costumes at Ohio Statehouse

A new bill in the Ohio would outlaw all abortions and subjects medical professionals who facilitate in the procedure to possible murder charges.

This bill would legally recognize a fetus as a human. It would remove all authorizations for abortions in to take place in Ohio. The legislation, which is being sponsored by 21 of the 99 Ohio House members, is championed by the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio. And it is meant to challenge Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in 1973.

Under the proposed measure, a whistle-blower provision would provide affirmative defense to those who help law enforcement officers investigate abortions. A woman who has received an abortion could provide facts for the prosecution to help convict medical professionals involved in the procedure, in an effort to mitigate or defeat criminal charges brought against her.

This is not the first time a complete abortion ban has been proposed in the Ohio Legislature. A similar ban was proposed in 2018 but did not get enough traction to pass. A total abortion ban was also introduced in 2006. Questions have been raised about whether such a ban could lead to a woman who has had a miscarriage being arrested and charged with murder.

Ohio’s “heartbeat bill,” prohibiting abortion after detection of a fetal heartbeat, typically found about six weeks into pregnancy, was signed into law in April by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R). But a federal judge stopped its implementation over the summer after the ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood and other groups sued. The law made no exceptions for rape or incest but allowed for procedures to save a pregnant woman’s life. Medical providers who violated the law faced up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Supporters of legal abortion plan to fight the renewed effort to ban abortion in Ohio. And if it were to pass, legal challenges would be mounted against it. But many abortion opponents say that's what they want: They think the U.S. Supreme Court, which now has a majority of conservative justices, will reverse course on Roe.

Earlier this week, Ohio Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) embarked on a trip to El Salvador with other lawmakers sponsored by the progressive State Innovation Exchange's Reproductive Leadership Council to experience what life is like in a country with a ban on abortion.