Ohio Senate Democrats Introduce Pro-Life Legislation
S.B. 171 Protects Rape Victims and their Children
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Today, Ohio Right to Life applauded the pro-life efforts of Ohio Sens. Charleta Tavares, D-Columbus, and Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, for sponsoring S.B. 171, legislation that protects rape victims and their children, during pregnancy and after birth. S.B. 171 was introduced in the wake of the Cleveland case in which one of three kidnapped women gave birth to a daughter fathered by kidnapper and captor, Ariel Castro.
The pro-life provisions of S.B. 171 include:
A victim/birth-mother can place her child for adoption without the legal consent of the offender if the child who is being placed was conceived by rape, sexual battery or unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
A victim can obtain a court order to terminate the offender’s parental rights if the child was conceived by rape, sexual battery or unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Both Tavares and Turner have expressed the desire to prevent “additional trauma” from being inflicted on the mother and her child. Tavares added that her interest is in “ensuring the well-being of the family.”
Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, agreed with the senators’ objectives, saying, “We should do everything we can to empower victims of rape and to protect both the woman and her child. Laws that enable mothers to take control, make positive choices and affirm the lives of their children and their family are critical to assist with the recovery process.”
Ohio Right to Life thanks Sens. Tavares and Turner for protecting the victims of sexual assault and their unborn children.
Founded in 1967, Ohio Right to Life, with more than 45 local chapters, 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.