The Ohio House of Representatives today concurred on Senate changes to House Bill 63, which revises the process of judicial bypass under Ohio’s Parental Consent for Abortion statute.
“So many bills are measured in economic impact, measured in dollars. House Bill 78 will be measured in lives,” said Roegner, who was joined at the bill signing by her three daughters: Katherine, age ten; Kaitlyn, age eight; and Kristine, age five. “This law saves the lives of hundreds of babies each year—babies that will contribute to society and could become future doctors, teachers, nurses, or engineers. They could become mothers and fathers themselves someday. It was truly a blessing to be a part of this historic day.”
“Ohio took an important step in protecting our most vulnerable citizens, our unborn,” Uecker said. “With this legislation that received bipartisan support being signed into law, it will save hundreds of babies each year. While our work is not done, this legislation will prevent the most egregious of abortions from taking place, those performed after a child is able to live outside the mother. ”
According to the “Ohio Viable Infants Protection Act,” if a woman wants an abortion and her unborn child is 20 weeks or older, a doctor must first examine the child to determine if he or she is viable. If the child is viable, the abortion is prohibited except in the case of a medical emergency or if the woman has a serious physical health condition.
Speaker Batchelder to Plain Dealer: Job creation hasn't taken a back seat to abortion legislation
Job creation hasn't taken a back seat to abortion legislation in Ohio House
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
William G. Batchelder, Columbus
Batchelder, a Republican from Medina, is speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.
State Representatives Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Joe Uecker (R-Loveland) today announced that the Ohio Senate has passed House Bill 78, which will protect the lives of unborn babies after the viability of the child is confirmed.
According to the “Ohio Viable Infants Protection Act,” if a woman wants an abortion and her unborn child is 20 weeks or older, a doctor must first examine the child to determine if he or she is viable. If the child is viable, the abortion is prohibited except in the case of a medical emergency or if the woman has a serious physical health condition.
In response to the passage of House Bill 78, Reps. Roegner has released the following statement:
“Most bills can be measured in economic impact, measured in dollars; with House Bill 78, we can measure in lives. At 20 weeks, unborn babies can already hear, kick and feel pain. I was horrified when I learned that in Ohio abortion is legal up until the day a woman gives birth.”
Additionally, Rep. Uecker released the following statement on the passage of the bill:
“I am extremely pleased that we are putting a high priority not only on job creation but also on protecting Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens. When this law is signed by the governor, it will immediately save the lives of babies across the state. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to protect the rights of Ohio’s unborn. Many thanks should go to Ohio Right to Life for their hard work in bringing this legislation forward.”
House Bill 78 will now be sent to Governor Kasich for his signature.
State Representatives Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) today introduced legislation that, when enacted, will prioritize the distribution of taxpayer-supported funds for family planning services.
Top priority would be granted to public entities that provide family planning services (such as local boards of health); second-tier priority would be given to federally qualified health centers, or community health centers; third-tier priority would be given to non-public entities that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care services and family planning services; and fourth-tier priority would be given to non-public entities that provide family planning services but do not provide comprehensive primary and preventative care (such as Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider).
"Certainly, public money should first be spent to fully fund public entities before non-public ones and then should fund those who provide comprehensive care services before funding those who only provide family planning services,” said Roegner. “As a woman and as a taxpayer, establishing priorities for how public money is spent just makes sense.”
This legislation will positively impact taxpayer-funded health organizations as well as comprehensive primary care facilities. While no entity—public or private—will be excluded from applying or receiving such funding, this new legislation will reaffirm the state’s public policy to prefer childbirth over abortion (O.R.C. 9.041).
Similar legislative approaches have been adopted in Texas, Kansas and Tennessee.
The Ohio House of Representatives today passed House Bill 78, which will protect the lives of unborn babies after the viability of the child is confirmed.
According to the “Ohio Viable Infants Protection Act,” if a woman wants an abortion and her unborn child is 20 weeks or older, a doctor must first examine the child to determine if he or she is viable. Viability is confirmed if a child would be able to live outside the womb, which is possible by approximately 22 to 24 weeks.
If the child is viable, the abortion is prohibited except in the case of a medical emergency or if the woman has a serious physical health condition. If an abortion is performed for one of these reasons, it must be performed at a neonatal facility where the method is most likely to permit the child to survive. Additionally, House Bill 78 requires a subjective standard for determining viability in order to comply with recent Supreme Court rulings and creates reporting requirements of the physician who performs an abortion in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Health.
“So many of the bills we pass are measured in economic impact; this bill we will measure in lives,” said State Representative Kristina Daley Roegner (R-Hudson), who jointly sponsored House Bill 78 with State Representative Joe Uecker (R-Loveland). “At five months, unborn babies can hear, move and feel pain. These viable babies deserve a chance at life.”
Abortions are currently permitted in Ohio right up to the moment of birth. Although most abortions are performed during the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy, many abortions are performed on women at 20 weeks and later. In 2009, there were 613 abortions that were performed at 20 weeks or later in Ohio. Of these, 116 infants were aborted after 24 weeks and one was aborted as late as 35 weeks. Most doctors agree that a child is capable of living on his or her own outside of the womb at 23 to 24 weeks.
“The goal of this legislation is to safeguard Ohio’s unborn babies and protect mothers from complications with late-term abortions,” said Representative Uecker. “I’m happy that we are addressing a wide range of important issues during this General Assembly and also giving a voice to our most vulnerable citizens.”
House Bill 78 passed with bipartisan support and will now move to the Ohio Senate for further debate and consideration.
State Reps. Danny Bubp (R-West Union) and Joe Uecker (R-Loveland) have announced that the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 79, which will prohibit the coverage of elective abortions within the health plans required by the new federal health care law.
The federal health care law requires each state to establish an “American Health Benefit Exchange” to encourage the purchase of health care plans, which may include elected abortions as a health care benefit. However, a state may prohibit abortion coverage in its own health benefit exchange if the state passes a law specifying as such.
“Currently, 29 other states have either introduced or plan to introduce similar legislation,” said Bubp. “It is important that we join this nationwide movement to protect the taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortions out of their own pockets, while at the same time taking steps to protect our most vulnerable Ohioans.”
“The people of the State of Ohio already face one of the highest tax burdens in the nation, and we have an obligation as lawmakers to rein in the cost of state government the best that we can,” said Uecker. “I think that this legislation is just one of the ways that our government can be accountable to the taxpayers.”
House Bill 79, which passed with bipartisan support, was originally introduced in May 2010 of the previous General Assembly. It will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
“Ohio Viable Infants Protection Act” passes House committee, awaits vote by full House
According to the “Ohio Viable Infants Protection Act,” if a woman wants an abortion and her child is 20 weeks or older, a doctor must examine the child to determine if he or she is viable. Viability is confirmed if a child would be able to live outside the womb, which is possible by approximately 22 to 24 weeks.
If the child is viable, the abortion is prohibited except in the case of a medical emergency or if the woman has a serious physical health condition. If an abortion is performed for one of these reasons, it must be performed at a neonatal facility where the method is most likely to permit the child to survive. Additionally, House Bill 78 requires a subjective standard for determining viability and creates reporting requirements of the physician who performs an abortion in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Health.
“Even during pregnancy, these unborn infants are still babies,” said Roegner. “House Bill 78 ensures that babies who are physically capable of surviving outside of the womb receive the care and protection they deserve.”
Currently, abortions are permitted in Ohio right up to the moment of birth. Although most abortions are performed during the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy, many abortions are performed on women at 20 weeks and later. In 2009, there were 613 abortions that were performed at 20 weeks or later in Ohio. Of these, 116 infants were aborted after 24 weeks and one was aborted as late as 35 weeks. Most doctors agree that a child is capable of living on his or her own outside of the womb at 23 to 24 weeks.
“It is important that we take steps to fine-tune Ohio’s abortion laws so that they will protect moms and infants alike,” Uecker said. “This legislation will help spare many women the devastating complications that may accompany a late-term abortion, while also giving many more infants a chance at life.”
House Bill 78 will now move to the House floor for a vote.
Legislation to improve parental consent bypass laws passes Ohio House with bipartisan support
House Bill 63, which was jointly sponsored by State Representatives Lynn Slaby (R-Akron) and Ron Young (R-Leroy Twp.), would revise the process of judicial bypass under Ohio’s Parental Consent for Abortion statute. According to federal court rulings, parental consent statutes permit a minor who is seeking an abortion the option to bypass the parental consent requirements, provided that she is able convince a juvenile judge that she is mature enough to make an informed decision or that the abortion is in her best interest.
However, it has been reported that many judges rarely or never deny a bypass request, which raises the question as to whether the intent behind the process is blocked by a “rubber-stamp” approval procedure.
“A 2003 Akron Beacon Journal survey found a bypass approval rate of either 86 or 92 percent,” said Slaby, a former judge. “This statistic shows that the bypass process may be flawed and ineffective. We need to take every precaution to safeguard the well-being of Ohio’s young mothers and make sure that they are of sound mind when they make the life-changing decision to have an abortion.”
House Bill 63 addresses these concerns by requiring a minor who is seeking judicial bypass to prove her case with “clear and convincing evidence.” Additionally, the legislation requires the court to inquire as to the minor’s understanding of the possible physical and emotional complications of the abortion procedure and, if faced with such complications, how she would address and treat the situation.
Finally, House Bill 63 requires the court to inquire as to whether and to what extent the minor has been coached or prepared on answering questions and what testimony to give at the bypass hearing.
“The bypass process exists for a reason, and it is important that juvenile judges follow the law for the good of the most vulnerable of our society,” said Young. “I am pleased that we are one step closer to rectifying this issue through the passage of House Bill 63.”
House Bill 63 will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
This bill, known as the Ohio Human Heartbeat Protection Act, or the “Heartbeat Bill,” will prohibit individuals from performing an abortion on pregnant women prior to testing whether the fetus she is carrying possesses a detectible heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected according to standard medical practice, an abortion will be prohibited by law unless the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to restore legal protection to babies whose hearts are beating,” said Wachtmann. “When passed, this legislation will be the nation’s strongest pro-life legislation. Nearly half of the Ohio House of Representatives have already signed on as cosponsors to the Heartbeat Bill.”
Cardiac activity in a fetus begins at a biologically identifiable time, normally when the fetal heart is formed in the gestational sac. While as many as 30 percent of natural pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriage, less than five percent of all natural pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriage after the detection of fetal cardiac activity. Therefore, many believe that fetal heartbeat is a medical predictor that an unborn baby will reach viability and live birth.
“Other states are already looking to Ohio to lead the way and provide model legislation for them to pass in their states,” said Wachtmann. “After all, Ohio is the ‘heart of it all,’ so it is only fitting that we protect our fellow human beings with beating hearts.”
The Heartbeat Bill will be introduced on February 14th and assigned a number on February 15th during House Session. It then will be assigned to a House committee, where it will undergo further debate and deliberation.
