HB 78 and its companion bill SB 72 aim to change Ohio law to require viability testing beginning at the 20th week of pregnancy and to ban all abortions once viability is confirmed, except in the case of a medical emergency, which are only situations in which there is risk of death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” to the woman.

Jurisdiction/Legislation Level

State

LCS Legislation Status

http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/hou129.nsf/House+Bill+Number/0078?OpenDoc...

Our Take on This Bill

HB 78 and its companion bill SB 72 are cause for concern in part due to their extremely narrow provisions concerning women’s health. According to the language, only situations in which there is risk of death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” are abortions permitted, explicitly stating that any reason related to mental health is invalid. These narrow exceptions do not allow women to make decisions with their doctors about what is best for their health in all but the most extreme circumstances. The ACLU of Ohio is committed to preserving the rights of women to have control over their reproductive lives and opposes the efforts of HB 78 and SB 72.

Committees

Health and Aging (H)

Sponsors

Rep. Amstutz (R), Rep. Balderson (R), Rep. Beck (R), Rep. Blair (R), Rep. Blessing (R), Rep. Boose (R), Rep. Brenner (R), Rep. Bubp (R), Rep. Buchy (R), Rep. Burke (R), Rep. Butler (R), Rep. Carey (R), Rep. Combs (R), Rep. Derickson (R), Rep. Dovilla (R),

Authors

Rep. Roegner (R), Rep. Uecker (R)

Status

Enacted