Columbus, Ohio, Nov 7, 2019 / 14:00 pm
Ohio lawmakers have passed two pieces of new pro-life legislation while court battles challenging earlier pro-life laws continue.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 155 by a vote of 22-10. The bill would require doctors to inform a mother that there are ways to possibly reverse a chemical abortion if they were to change their mind. The vote was almost entirely along party lines, with one Republican joining all Democratic senators in voting against the bill.
On Oct. 6, the senate also passed Senate Bill 208 along party lines. That bill would require abortionists to report to the state Department of Health if a child were to be born alive after an abortion, and provide appropriate medical care to keep the baby alive. All Democrats voted against this bill.
At present, Ohio law bans abortion after the 22nd week of a pregnancy, and has several other abortion laws on the books that are currently being challenged in federal courts. In April 2019, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed into a law a bill that would ban abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. That bill was blocked by a federal judge in early July.