Banning Down Syndrome abortions 2 steps away from law
Update: Today, Ohio’s House passed a bill to ban abortions after a fetus has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome. It passed with with a 63-30 vote, reports Cleveland.com.
The only things standing in the legislation’s way are the Senate’s OK and Governor Kasich’s signature.
10/26/2017: The ban on aborting fetuses that may have Down Syndrome was passed by the Ohio House Health Committee on Wednesday. The Dispatch reports that the legislation would prohibit a physicians from performing an abortion on a woman whose fetus could potentially have Down Syndrome.
It will now move on to the House and Senate for voting.
09/25/2017: The emotional debate continues over whether aborting a pregnancy where the fetus has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome should be illegal.
The side that supports criminalizing aborting a baby with Down Syndrome say abortions based on this diagnosis are discriminatory.
People that oppose the legislation say it could destroy doctor-patient trust and could lead to women seeking out dangerous measures to ensure their pregnancy is terminated.
North Dakota and Indiana have passed similar legislation however an appeal is pending in Indiana on the grounds that the state has no authority to limit a woman’s reasons for ending a pregnancy
If the bill passes in Ohio, physicians convicted of performing an abortion of a fetus diagnosed with Down Syndrome would face a fourth-degree felony and stripped of their medical license.The pregnant woman would face no criminal repercussions.
08/25/2017: A bill that would make aborting a fetus with Down Syndrome a felony for doctors is being debated by Ohio lawmakers.
On Tuesday, a second hearing was held and at least one more is expected before the bill moves along to the Senate for vote.
As the bill is currently written, the doctor who performs an abortion of an unborn baby diagnosed with Down Syndrome would be the one to face legal ramifications if the bill passes. The mother of the child would not face charges, reports NBC4i.
According to NBC4i per the Director of the Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University, Dr. Dennis Sullivan, about 25% of doctors highly recommend aborting a pregnancy when the unborn child is diagnosed with Down Syndrome.
Read about reactions to this bill at NBC4i.
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