A bill currently before the state legislature in Ohio would classify an unborn baby as a person and subject anyone who provides abortions to charges of aggravated murder and the death penalty.
The Columbus Dispatch says similar measures introduced in the past have not made much headway, but with the passage in April of a so-called “heartbeat bill” that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected at about six weeks, sponsors of the measure say this time may be different.
Margie Christie, president of the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, said the heartbeat bill “really opened the floodgates.”
A federal judge in July ruled the “Heartbeat Protection Act” unconstitutional and blocked Ohio from enforcing the measure.
House Bill 413, supported by Christie and 20 Republican legislators, would classify a fetus as a person and call for prosecution of anyone who provides abortions by any means — including but not limited to medical, surgical or chemical methods. – READ MORE