Pro-life legislation introduced into the Ohio Senate this morning will ban late term abortions in Ohio. Similar to House Bill 78, the Late Term Ban introduced in the Ohio House last week, this legislation will save babies’ lives.
“This is a huge step forward in putting an end to abortion in Ohio,” State Senator Peggy Lehner, sponsor of Senate Bill 72 said. “When we know there is a way to protect both the mother and her child, it is our responsibility to protect them both.”
This bill would require physicians to test if a child was viable outside of the mother’s womb prior to performing an abortion after 20 weeks gestation. If the child is viable, the abortion cannot be performed. There is an exception for the physical health and life of the mother.
“This late term abortion ban legislation will save lives immediately when enacted. The overwhelming support of our pro-life leaders in the Ohio Senate demonstrates that our government is serious about enacting safeguards to protect babies’ lives,” said Mike Gonidakis, Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life.
Ohio law currently permits abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, up until the moment of birth. Most experts agree that an unborn child can feel pain by 20 weeks. In 2009, 613 children were killed at 20 weeks of life or later in Ohio. 116 of those babies suffered death after 24 weeks. One case was documented at 35 weeks.