The Ohio Senate Health committee heard the first testimony on a bill Wednesday on a bill that would immediately ban abortion statewide if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe vs Wade in a case it will hear from Mississippi this December.
Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) said the bill will outlaw abortion the minute the U.S. Supreme Court allows that. And while it would levy hefty fines on doctors who perform abortions, and even create a new felony-level abortion crime, she said a person getting an abortion is not the target.
“This does not criminalize the woman at all,” Roegner testified.
Jaime Miracle of NARAL Pro Choice Ohio disagrees.
“Laws that shouldn’t prosecute people for actions during pregnancy are already being weaponized," Miracle said.
Miracle noted a 2015 case in Indiana where a woman spent a year in jail before charges were overturned. This bill does allow for abortions if the pregnant person’s health is in danger, but opponents say the process for getting that exception is difficult, if not impossible.
On Tuesday, supporters of legal abortion chanted outside the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday then marched into the Senate and unfurled a banner before being escorted out.
Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.
