On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 the Senate in Ohio passed yet another abortion ban, which bans women from getting an abortion in case of a Down syndrome diagnosis. This led to a silent protest by the abortion-rights activists who stood in the Chamber wearing black t-shirts that spelled “STOP THE BANS”.
What will this mean for the doctors?
The law states that it will be illegal for doctors to perform an abortion if they have confirmed the Down Syndrome diagnosis.
This would make the procedure a felony, and if convicted the doctor would lose his license to practice medicine.
Who voted for it?
Lawmakers voted 20 to 12, and the majority of those who approved it were Republicans.
Similar laws were also passed in North Dakota and Indiana, although the provision in Indiana was struck, after American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in September. The law in Indiana was passed by Indiana’s former governor and the vice president of the States Mike Pence, but was later declared as unconstitutional.
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Will Ohio’s governor sign the law?
It’s still not sure whether the governor will sign it into law, although the abortion opponents are hoping he will, and are impatiently anticipating his move.
John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, has 10 days to sign the law. If he decides to sign it, it will be the 20th abortion ban that has been passed in Ohio in the last 6 years that Kasich has been their governor. He has said in the past that he would have no problem signing such a bill.
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How are people reacting to it?
The president of Ohio Right to Life, believes that everyone in Ohio deserves a chance to live, no matter the number of chromosomes they might have.
The director of NARAL Ohio, an abortion-rights activists group, believes that this ban will lead to a drop in the number of gynecologist that will want to practice in Ohio.
This law, unlike the other abortion bans the state has, did not pass as smoothly. Many of the Republicans joined on the side of the Democrats and voted against it.
There were a lot of doctors and parents of children with Down syndrome who testified against this bill. They believe that a woman should have the right to choose whether she wants to give birth to a child with Down syndrome, or not.
What do you think? Are you for the law or against it?
