On June 28, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 145 which bans the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure, which is the most commonly used abortion procedure for women in the second trimester of pregnancy. The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 24-9 and now heads to the Ohio House for consideration.
The bill, as passed by the Senate, institutes criminal penalties against doctors who perform the procedure – a fourth degree felony for committing the crime of dismemberment feticide.
The bill includes an exception when the mother’s health is in danger, but it has no exception for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians follows the American Academy of Family Physicians’ policy on the criminalization of medical practice which states “the AAFP takes all reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that medical decision-making and treatment, exercised in good faith, does not become a violation of criminal law.”
In addition, the OAFP follows the AAFP’s policy on reproductive health which states “the AAFP supports a woman’s access to reproductive health services and opposes non evidence-based restrictions on medical care and the provision of such services.”
SB 145 has not yet been referred to a House committee for consideration.