COLUMBUS, Ohio — Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many states, like Ohio, are poised to take action on abortion.
What You Need To Know
- Lawmakers reacted to Roe v. Wade being reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States
- Democrats are strongly against the decision and Republicans are largely in support
- Trigger bills Senate Bill 123 and House Bill 598 both would outlaw abortion, making it a fourth-degree felony
- Gov. Mike DeWine said he will work to revive the Heartbeat bill
Within minutes of the Supreme Court ruling, state leaders in Ohio spoke out.
“Roe was poorly reasoned,” Attorney General Dave Yost, R-Ohio, said. “A doctrine of shifting sands that invited non-stop litigation. And that’s exactly what we’ve had for 50 years.”
Yost took little time to file a motion in federal court to dissolve the injunction against Ohio’s “heartbeat bill,” which bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
But that’s not all that’s pending.
Trigger bans and other legislation are floating around the Statehouse. Senate Bill 123 and House Bill 598 both would outlaw abortion, making it a fourth-degree felony.
House Democrats said these policies are dangerous because they could lead to women seeking unsafe abortions.
“That’s why we’ve proposed an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would protect women’s bodily autonomy by guaranteeing their right to obtain surgical and medical abortions,” House Minority Whip Rep. Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, said in a video posted to Twitter.
The legislature is in summer recess, and the bills would need to be approved in both chambers and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, before being enacted.
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, supported the Supreme Court decision.
“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of life and liberty,” Huffman said. “Our members have consistently defended the lives of babies yet to be born. We will continue to do so, as we evaluate what additional resources pregnancy centers and young families may need. I look forward to reviewing the specific details in the opinion, so that as we move forward, any legislation we pass in the Ohio Senate follows the guidance of the court, protecting life, and upholding the Constitution.”
Democrats strongly disagreed.
“It’s time for politicians to stop meddling in women’s extremely personal decisions,” Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, said. “And instead protect their ability to make safe and informed decisions about their own health and wellbeing.”
DeWine said he will seek to revive the “heartbeat bill.”
