Ohio Governor John Kasich Sent Landmark Pain-Capable 5-Month Abortion Ban

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 9, 2016
Contact: Nicole Stacy, [email protected] 202-223-8073

Bold Pro-life Action Taken by Ohio Legislature Reflective of Message Voters Sent on Election Day

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Ohio Legislature sent the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to Governor Kasich’s desk. This legislation would end painful late-term abortions in the state after 20 weeks, or five months of pregnancy. Earlier this week, the Ohio Legislature sent Gov. Kasich legislation that would ban abortions when a heartbeat can be detected.

“The bold pro-life action taken by the Ohio legislature is reflective of the message the voters sent on Election Day, and that is a rejection of the status quo,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List). “Americans reject the status quo of abortion on-demand, especially painful late-term abortions. Instead, voters and lawmakers are recognizing the humanity of the unborn child: its heartbeat around six weeks and the pain the child can feel at 20 weeks. Both the heartbeat bill and the Pain-Capable bill aim to humanize our law. Should either of these bills land in the Courts, the Courts should take the opportunity to catch our laws up with public opinion, science, and basic human decency. The Supreme Court hoped to settle the abortion issue when they decided Roe in 1973, and it has proven to be a spectacular failure. The will of the pro-life grassroots was validated on Election Day, and we won’t stop fighting until all unborn children are protected under the law.”

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is SBA List’s top legislative priority. SBA List worked closely with its Ohio allies to advance the measure in the Ohio legislature, including organizing committee testimony on the bill and leading a briefing for legislators and staff. In 2016, SBA List’s Women Speak Out PAC knocked on 136,905 doors in the state, educating voters about Hillary Clinton and Ted Strickland’s extreme opposition to the legislation. Should Gov. Kasich sign it into law, Ohio would become the 18th state to pass Pain-Capable legislation since 2010. The U.S. House has approved a federal version of this legislation twice, and it has received 54 votes in the U.S. Senate. Signing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act into law is one of four major pro-life commitments made by President-elect Trump.

Susan B. Anthony List and its connected super PAC, Women Speak Out so far have spent more than $18 million in the 2016 election cycle, knocking on more than one million doors in battleground states to defeat Hillary Clinton and maintain a pro-life Senate. SBA List is dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of more than 465,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.

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