Home > News > Press Releases > Ohio Right to Life pursues Dismemberment Abortion Ban
Ohio Right to Life pursues Dismemberment Abortion Ban
February 9, 2017
State’s largest pro-life advocacy organization announces legislative agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Katherine Franklin
DATE: Thursday, February 9, 2017 PHONE: 614-547-0099 ext. 304
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Today, Ohio Right to Life released its 2017-2018 Legislative Agenda. Headlining the slate of six pro-life initiatives is the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, which, like the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, is a part of the national strategy to end abortion. The legislation would prohibit dilation and evacuation abortions, a procedure in which the abortionist first dilates the woman’s cervix and then uses steel instruments to dismember and extract the baby from the uterus. The D&E abortion procedure is usually performed between thirteen and twenty-four weeks LMP. In 2015, the Ohio Department of Health reported nearly 3,000 D&E abortions in the state of Ohio. Pro-life Ohio Senator Matt Huffman (R-Lima) will sponsor the legislation.
“Like partial-birth abortion, dismemberment abortion is a brutal practice that needs to be done away with,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. “Thanks to the work of our pro-life legislature and Governor this past General Assembly, Ohio now prohibits abortions on babies who can feel pain. But there is still so much more to do. When thousands of human children are being torn limb from limb every year, it is incumbent on the State of Ohio to stand up and put a stop to this inhumane practice.”
Along with the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, Ohio Right to Life will also pursue the following:
• Unborn Child Dignity Act – Requires the humane burial or cremation of an unborn child’s remains following an abortion and increases informed consent.
• Abortion-Inducing Drug Safety Act – Prohibits using drugs off-label to induce abortions; requires abortion facilities to inform women that chemical abortions can possibly be reversed to save their unborn baby’s life. (See abortionpillreversal.com)
• Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act – Prohibits abortions from taking place for the sole reason of a Down syndrome diagnosis.
• Pregnancy and Parenting Support Act – Provides funding for the work of life-affirming pregnancy centers across the state.
• Fetal Organ Trafficking Ban – Prohibits the exchange of any form of compensation for fetal tissue or organs, and would describe the legal penalties for engaging in this trade.
“Over 20,000 abortions occur in Ohio every single year,” said Gonidakis. “Ohio Right to Life’s legislative agenda shows a clear path to decreasing that figure by supporting life-affirming pregnancy centers and putting a stop to practices that undermine the value of human life. We respectfully urge the General Assembly to prioritize these legislative initiatives as a part of our shared goal of ending the abortion crisis in the state of Ohio.”
Click here to view Ohio Right to Life’s 2017-2018 Legislative Agenda.
Click here to read The Columbus Dispatch’s front-page story.
Click here to watch former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino explain how a dilation and evacuation abortion is performed.
Founded in 1967, Ohio Right to Life, with more than 45 chapters and local affiliates, is Ohio’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement in Ohio, ORTL works through legislation and education to promote and defend innocent human life from conception to natural death.