GOP legislators in the state of Ohio have drafted a new measure modeled after the controversial Texas' Heartbeat Act, which bans abortion as early as six weeks, a period during which women are yet unaware of their pregnancy.
Ohio state Representatives Jena Powell of Arcanum and Thomas Hall of Madison Township, both Republicans, introduced House Bill 480 or the 2363 Act, which would allow citizens to file a lawsuit against a doctor who performs an abortion or any individual who "aids or abets" an abortion.
"The sanctity of human life, born and preborn, must be preserved in Ohio," Rep. Powell said in a statement, LifeNews reported. "The 2363 Act is about protecting our fundamental, constitutional right to be born and live. Abortion kills children, scars families and harms women. We can and must do better."
Just like Texas' Heartbeat Act, Ohio's House Bill 480 or 2363 Act empowers anybody in the state to take action against abortionists by alowing private enforcement of the abortion ban. The law has an exception in the event the mother's life is at risk. Those who will be convicted of violating the abortion ban may be penalized with a $10,000 fine per abortion.
"Representative Powell and I, as the two youngest serving members in the Ohio House, are part of the generation that will end abortion in Ohio and across America," Rep. Hall said in a statement. "It is vital that we come together at this pivotal moment to lead in defense of the most vulnerable."
House Bill 480 is backed by 33 Republican cosponsors and is supported by the Dayton Right to Life, Right to Life Action Coalition, and Created Equal, which is known for sharing graphic pictures of aborted babies in its posters. Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis shared that he was reviewing the legislation as his organization remains "laser-focused" on enacting a trigger law to ban abortion in the state in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Pro-life organization Live Action president Lila Rose showed her support for House Bill 480, stressing how "human life begins at the moment of fertilization" and that the unborn should also be included in the conversation of equality. Rose argued that the pro-life legislation enacts "the truth that every single preborn child deserves protection and no child should be discriminated against based on race, gender, medical diagnosis, or age."
According to the Guttmacher Institute, over 20,600 abortions were provided in Ohio in 2017 alone. Between 2014 and 2017, there was a 9% decline in abortions in the state, which overall represents 2.4% of all abortions in the United States. In 2017, there were 14 facilities across the state that offered abortion, nine of which were clinics. These statistics showed a 25% decline in clinics from 2014.
In Ohio, public funding for abortion is available only for cases of life endangerment, rape or incest. Patients are instructed to undergo an ultrasound before choosing to abort, as the provider is required to test for a fetal heartbeat. In the state, abortion may only be performed at 20 or more weeks after fertilization.
