Hearing today: At 10:30AM, the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee will hear sponsor testimony on a "trigger ban" that would block all abortion in Ohio if the US Supreme Court banned abortion anywhere. Our @JMiracleOH speaks to the media before the committee starts.
Rep. Jean Schmidt explains her plan to ban all abortion access in Ohio at the first action by the US Supreme Court on an abortion ban from any state.
Ohioans support abortion access. Lawmakers pushing these restrictions on abortion access are out of step with Ohio values. A recent poll showed 61% of Ohio voters agree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in #Roe.
Abortion bans are discriminatory. Bills designed to block abortion access are harmful to low-income women, transgender, and gender non-binary individuals, and everyone needing abortion care. They disproportionately impact people in communities of color.
Rep. Richard Brown questions the legal basis for the bill and the circumstances around banning abortion. He's been a vocal supporter of Ohioans' right to access abortion care in their communities.
It’s every Ohioans’ human right to make their own decisions about their bodies, their lives, & their futures. The abortion restrictions we’re seeing debated at the Statehouse and the US Supreme Court would deprive people of their ability to make their own health care decisions.
Rep. Brown asks about risk of criminalizing doctors who may be punished because of laws passed in other states. Rep. Schmidt does not give a damn about Ohio physicians.
Rep. @Liston4Ohio asks about how a physician would be expected to document that an abortion would be performed because of a severe medical risk to the pregnant person.
Rep. @Liston4Ohio, who is also Doctor Liston, asks about specific threats to pregnancy such as ectopic pregnancy, and how doctors would be restricted instead of being able to immediately treat their patients as they know best.
@Liston4Ohio Rep. Bill Seitz asks about the #DobbsVJackson in Mississippi that's before the US Supreme Court. MS is pushing a 15-week ban. He's suggesting an amendment to make this Ohio abortion ban bill worse.
Rep. Brown adds discussion of how the bill creates an affirmative defense for physicians "after they jump over 6 hurdles." He notes that the bill does not have a realistic provision to allow for abortions to save the life of the pregnant person.
Rep. @Liston4Ohio: "What room for judgement is there in this?"
Rep. Schmidt: "I'm not a doctor."
Next @RepGalonski: "Actually your bill makes no exception and people would be charged with felonies." She's not accepting Rep. Schmidt's garbage claims.
"For medical schools to receive proper accreditation, they must teach students for the possibility of abortion." - @RepGalonski. Rep. Schmidt doesn't care about impact on Ohio's medical academic community.
Chairman Shane WIlkin attempts to curb additional discussion over the bill's legal language flaws, noting that the bill would need to be amended before moving forward.
Rep. Richard Brown redirects, asking about lack of rape exception in the bill. Ohio Republicans have NEVER, EVER, EVER shown one bit of concern for people who become pregnant through rape. Every bill passed by the Ohio GOP neglects them.
Rep. Schmidt on people who become pregnant through rape: "It's a shame that it happens, but there is an opportunity for that woman..."
"This girl has rights! Every bit as much as that zygote." - Rep. Rich Brown, appropriately mad on behalf of rape survivors.
Rep. @Liston4Ohio: "Is there anything in this bill that says a pregnancy can be terminated for a fetus with no brain and no possible positive outcome?"
.@RepGalonski isn't moving past this point, and neither are we: "We're putting doctors in a horribly uncomfortable position where they would have to ask themselves 'Do I have to save this woman and face a felony charge?'"
@RepGalonski With that question, the hearing is over.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Send an email to your member of the Ohio House of Representatives and demand they stop this trigger ban: prochoiceohio.org/trigger-ban/
Thank you to @RepRichBrown, @RepGalonski, & Rep. @Liston4Ohio for holding Rep. Jean Schmidt and the Ohio Republican House Caucus accountable during that committee.
Following the hearing, @JMiracleOH explains to the media how every abortion ban bill is bad, but it's important to remember that abortion is still legal in Ohio.
Find a clinic at prochoiceohio.org/clinics
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At 2:15 the Ohio Senate Finance Committee will begin. One of the bills on their agenda today is SB 159. A plan to give people state income tax credits for donations to anti-abortion centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers. Watch Here: ohiochannel.org/live/ohio-sena…
We have heard a lot recently from anti-abortion elected officials on how great "pregnancy centers" are for Ohio. The truth? These centers lie to & coerce people turning to them for help. Read more about our recent study of these centers in Cbus here: prochoiceohio.org/columbuscpc/
These anti-abortion centers already get 14 MILLION DOLLARS in our tax money in the Ohio budget - no more of our money should be spent supporting these centers. Especially since they use this funding NOT on service provision but on advertising and pushing the anti-abortion agenda.
Dr. Lauren Beene speaks to the impact that Dobbs had on Ohioans, and the harms that patients saw when abortion was outlawed at 6 weeks across the state. We cannot go back to those days, we must protect abortion access in the OH Constitution.
Starting now: A committee of the Ohio House is hearing initial testimony on House Joint Resolution 1, the plan by extremist members of the Republican caucus to allow a 40% minority of Ohio voters to block constitutional amendments.
Video: ohiochannel.org/live/ohio-hous…
You might not be able to tell from the video, but they've selected one of the smallest, cramped hearing rooms for this hearing that would affect 11 million Ohioans. Republicans are literally trying to hide their horrible plans in the Statehouse basement.
Rep. @BrianStewartOH is sponsoring HJR1 and has admitted that his proposal is specifically designed to be a tool to block the abortion rights constitutional amendment.
House is FINALLY back again... first up, concurrence vote on HB 458, a VERY bad bill that requires photo ID to vote, and several other bad voting provisions... looks like they will pass this bill even though they don't all some of it, and fixes to the bill will be added to HB 45.
So, they are going to vote on stuff they don't agree with, on the promise that they will get fixed "sometime between now and breakfast." Again, this is NOT how our democracy should work.
Rep Richard Brown, once again this bill is a solution in search of a problem. Even Secretary of State Frank LaRose says our system is a model for other states to use, our elections are safe and secure. Why are we screwing with a system LaRose calls "flawless"?
The OH Sen is currently adding a HUGE amendment without time for folks to review it to an already awful bill, HB 151 which bans trans youth from playing sports. This amendment is more than 2000 pages introduced after 10pm on the last day of session. This is NOT the way to govern.
This amendment is added to the bill - by a vote of 23-7, party line vote. Once again the OH Leg does what it does best, make a bad bill even worse... #LameDuckShenanigans
Senator @nickieantonio on Am HB 151 - reading testimony from Ember, a trans girl who plays sports in OH. She spoke to how important it was for her to be able to play girls softball, "it is one of the most affirming moments since coming out."
And... there it is, HB 105, a previously amazing bill to support child sexual abuse and sexual violence victims and provide prevention education was amended to include a dangerous amendment that could block those victims from getting the healthcare they need. #LameDuckShenanigans
The amendment was added on a party line vote, all R's voting yes all D's voting no. Still waiting in this hearing to see what they do with HB 151, the bill that would ban Trans Youth from playing sports.
The amendment just added to HB 105 completely hijacks the bill. They may say they support child sexual abuse and sexual violence victims, but blocking them from the healthcare they need to recover from the abuse & assault shows that this "care" is all talk and no action.