COLUMBUS – Two Republican lawmakers in Ohio have introduced Texas-style legislation that could effectively end all abortions in the state.
State Reps. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) unveiled their bill Tuesday, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the model Texas law. Justices are deciding whether to allow a legal challenge to proceed.
Abortion-rights advocates compare the attempts by legislators in the two states to a game of table tennis.
“This is such a sick game of ping-pong that Ohio and Texas are playing right now. The first six-week ban was introduced here, and Texas took it and added the vigilante piece. Now, Ohio is picking it back up and adding a total ban to it. It’s incredibly dangerous,” NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio executive director Kellie Copeland said.
The Ohio measure subjects clinics, doctors and any others who facilitate abortions to fines of up to $10,000 dollars and opens them up to large financial penalties tied to lawsuits, which citizens could bring against them.
It also makes it difficult to mount legal challenges to the law.
The fact that the woman wanted an abortion is not a defense against litigation.
Supporters of the bill argue that human life starts at the moment of fertilization and deserves protection.
Copeland and other opponents counter that the legislation an attack on women’s rights and reproductive health.