HB 570 – Sex-Selection Abortion Ban (2011-2012)
Link to Bill:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_HB_570Status:
FailedSummary:
This bill prohibits the performance of abortions due to the sex of the fetus, as well as funding or coercing a woman to have this type of abortions. Individuals who perform, coerce, or fund a sex-selection abortion face a third degree felony and possible civil penalties.
Primary Sponsors:
Rep. Grossman (R), Rep. Lynch (R)Secondary Sponsors:
(R), Rep. Boose (R), Rep. Bubp (R), Rep. Buchy (R), Rep. C. Hagan (R), Rep. Conditt (R), Rep. Derickson (R), Rep. DeVitis (R), Rep. Gardner (R), Rep. Hayes (R), Rep. Hill (R), Rep. Huffman (R), Rep. J. Adams (R), Rep. Johnson (R), Rep. Newbold (R), Rep. Pelanda (R), Rep. R. Adams (R), Rep. Roegner (R), Rep. Scherer (R), Rep. Slaby (R), Rep. Smith (R), Rep. Sprague (R), Rep. Stebelton (R), Rep. Terhar (R), Rep. Thompson (R), Rep. Uecker (R), Rep. Wachtmann (R)Committee:
UnassignedLSC Legislation Status:
http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/hou129.nsf/House+Bill+Number/0570?OpenDocumentJurisdiction/Legislation Level:
StateOur take on this bill:
HB 570 is a particularly threatening bill to women’s reproductive choice options in Ohio, as its provisions do the following:
- Link a woman’s reason for having an abortion to a criminal charges
- Allow the parent of a minor and the father of the fetus, regardless of the woman’s age, to seek civil action if a sex-selection abortion is performed without their consent, unless the pregnancy is a result of the father’s or parent’s criminal conduct
- Expose those who help women fund their abortions to the possibility of a third degree felony, which carries a sentence of 1-5 years in prison, if it is linked to a sex-selection abortion procedure
Strip privacy from women by requiring medical and mental health personnel to report any “known or suspected” sex-selection abortions to law enforcement, with failure to do so being a fifth degree felony with a prison term of up to a year