|
Toledo
Blade...
Made-up problems
When Republicans ran for office in Ohio last year, they promised to fix
the state’s ailing economy and put people to work. But now that they
control both chambers of the General Assembly, they seem more intent on
pandering to single-issue constituencies, especially opponents of
abortion rights.
Several anti-abortion bills are before lawmakers. One would require
judges to question minors more thoroughly to make sure they understand
the impact of an abortion before giving the court’s consent. Another
seeks to ensure that Ohio does not take part in abortion-related
services included in the federal health-care reform law enacted last
year.
More disturbing is the “heartbeat bill,” which would ban most abortions
once a fetal heartbeat can be detected -- about six weeks from
conception. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled that states
can limit abortions only of viable fetuses, generally at 21 to 22 weeks.
The bill, which does not have the backing even of Ohio Right to Life,
appears unconstitutional on its face. Yet a state House committee
passed it because it pleases groups that want all abortions banned.
Abortion-rights opponents seem to think that if the heartbeat bill
becomes law, it would spark a court battle that they hope ultimately
would overturn the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs.
Wade that established a woman’s right to an abortion. Should that be
Ohio lawmakers’ priority for attention?
Another bill that passed the state Senate last week is more reasonable,
though it still falls short. It would require doctors to determine the
viability of any fetus at 20 weeks -- and then get a second opinion --
before performing an abortion.
If the fetus is deemed capable of surviving outside the womb, an
abortion would not be allowed except when the alternative is the death
or severe health impairment of the pregnant woman. The bill
specifically excludes the woman’s mental health from consideration.
Mike Gonidakis, executive director of Ohio Right to Life, called the
bill a “true victory for human rights” that would mean “abortionists
will no longer be able to perform these brutal late-term abortions.”
Heated rhetoric aside, that’s assertion is factually questionable.
There is no evidence that late-term abortions for personal convenience
rather than medical necessity are performed in Ohio. Only about 2
percent of all abortions performed in Ohio in 2009 were late-term
procedures.
Kelli Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, says
nearly every procedure was medically necessary. All the Senate bill
would do, then, is threaten Ohio women’s health.
Abortions overall have declined in Ohio for nine straight years. Since
2000, they are down 40 percent. The Senate bill is a solution in search
of a problem.
Another statistic: Ohio’s unemployment rate remains above 9 percent.
Thousands of unemployed, frustrated Ohioans have stopped looking for
jobs.
The state’s lead is slipping in research and manufacturing of
alternative-energy solutions. The new state development office that’s
supposed to rejuvenate the economy seems unlikely to create jobs in the
near future.
You’d think such real problems would leave state lawmakers no time to
waste on bills that address made-up problems.
Read it at the Toledo Blade
|
|
|
|
