Bill may ban dilation, evacuation abortions
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Senate may soon vote on a bill that would ban a commonly used abortion procedure, generally blocking abortions after about 13 weeks after conception.
The Senate Judiciary Committee signed off Tuesday on Senate Bill 145, setting up a possible floor vote Wednesday during what could be the Senate’s final voting session before lawmakers’ summer recess.
The committee vote, along party lines with Democrats opposing, came after testimony from several opponents and one proponent of the bill that would ban dilation and evacuation abortions.
Also, 16 women dressed in red robes and white bonnets — a reference to the dystopian novel and Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” — stood silently in the hallway and then inside the room to show their disapproval.
A similar group dressed in T-shirts featuring pictures of fetuses sat in the front row of the committee room to show their support.
The legislation is the latest in a series of mostly Republican-backed bills aimed at restricting abortions. Last session, lawmakers passed and Gov. John Kasich signed legislation that would ban abortions from about 20 weeks after conception, when advocates say an unborn child can feel pain.
The bill includes exceptions for cases where the mother’s health is in danger.
The procedure is widely used for abortions after about 13 weeks of pregnancy. Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and other supporters of the bill have cited Ohio Department of Health statistics showing that nearly 3,000 of the dilation and evacuation abortions were conducted in Ohio in 2015.
“This state, indeed this nation, has already prohibited … partial-birth abortion(s) on a living unborn child,” said Barry Sheets, representing a coalition of groups that oppose abortion, in testimony Tuesday. “The only real differences between that action and the one that is the subject of SB 145 is the location of the child when it is killed (in the womb or in the birth canal), and the state of the baby’s body upon completion of the act.”
But women’s health advocates and others urged rejection of the measure Tuesday, questioning the constitutionality of the legislation and voicing concern about its impact on health-care access.
Jaime Miracle, deputy director of NARAL ProChoice Ohio, said the procedure that would be banned under the bill was preferred by physicians as the safest alternative for mothers.
“I am not sure about you, but when I am facing a medical procedure, I rely on the fact that the medical practitioner performing the procedure will do it in the most effective and safe way possible; that they will use their training and experience to determine how best to treat me based on my medical history and possible complicating factors,” she said.
Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, told the committee comparable prohibitions are being legally challenged in other states where they have been enacted.