COMPLETE BAN ON ABORTION IN OHIO

Testimony Against H.B. 228 

presented by Susan M. Bader, President - June 13, 2006

Ohio National Organization for Women would like to voice its strenuous objection to H.B. 228 sponsored by Rep. Brinkman.  This bill prohibits abortions under any circumstances and punishes individuals for helping provide women with services, undermines a woman’s right to control her life.

As Oglala Sioux President Cecelia Fire Thunder said in South Dakota, "Ultimately, this is a much bigger issue than just abortion. The women of America should be outraged that policies and decisions about their bodies are being made by male politicians and clergy. It's time for women to reclaim their bodies.”

When we look at H.B. 228, we can easily see how extremely misogynist it is.  It consistently places undue burden on women seeking an abortion. This bill would make it illegal for a hospital or person to perform an abortion, making it a felony for a physician to perform such procedure.  It would mandate that any state or local public funds may not be used to subsidize an abortion.  Including the use of state funds to pay for health insurance policies, unless women purchase a rider that includes all of the costs, premiums, charges associated with the rider, including administrative expenses. This bill also amends the statutes involving civil damages by allowing the women, the father of the fetus or embryo, and parents of a minor to sue regardless if the physician obtains an informed consent.

Instead of supporting H.B. 228, we encourage the Ohio House to work at educating women and men in preventing unwanted pregnancies, therefore the need for abortions.  We ask that you hold hearings on H.B. 588, legislation that would provide honest sexuality education teen pregnancy prevention programs with medically accurate information about abstinence, contraception and condom use as ways to prevent unintended pregnancies and STD, including HIV/AIDS.  H.B. 588 would guarantee women’s access to prescriptions including legal birth control and emergency contraception (EC), and would forbid insurance companies from limiting or excluding FDA approved prescription contraception drugs.

Ohio NOW asks that you never vote H.B. 228 out of committee or hold any more hearings on such an anti-women piece of legislation.  Instead we ask that you support access to education that makes every child a wanted child.