South Dakota Criminalizes Abortion
Pending Ohio Bill Would Make Performing ANY Abortion Illegal, Even in Cases of Rape, Incest, or to Save the Health or Life of the Pregnant Woman Cleveland, OH- NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, the state’s leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, today expressed outrage at a criminal ban on abortion which was signed into law by South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds today. This legislation is purposefully unconstitutional and its intention is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. “The South Dakota abortion ban doesn’t contain an adequate exception to protect a woman’s life, and contains no exception to protect a woman’s health, or for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. In Ohio, we are facing an even more restrictive measure which contains NO exception to protect a woman’s life. These measures take us back to the days before Roe v. Wade and could send doctors to prison for doing what is in the best medical interests of their patients,” said Kellie Copeland, Executive Director NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. “Instead of working to introduce legislation to protect women’s health, Governor Rounds signed into law a measure that endangers women’s lives,” continued Copeland. “By outlawing abortion you force women into the hands of back alley butchers. Pro-Choice Ohioans must stand up and let their legislators know that they won’t tolerate this type of attack on our rights in our state.” Currently legislation is pending in the Ohio House of Representatives that would outlaw all abortions in Ohio--no exceptions, not even to save the life of the woman, not even in the case of rape or incest. In addition to criminalizing any abortion in the state of Ohio, HB 228 would make it illegal to transport a woman to obtain an abortion in another state. This provision would even mean potential prison time for a husband that accompanies his wife to another state to receive abortion care services necessary to preserve her life or health. Instead of further limiting women’s access to abortion care, lawmakers should instead focus on reducing the need for abortion by enacting laws guaranteeing that young people receive comprehensive sex education and that all Ohioans have access to family planning services and birth control.
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