The Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee recommended a bill on Tuesday to outlaw late-term abortions. The House has scheduled a floor vote on the bill for today.
The bill would establish the offense of “partial-birth feticide,” which would result in a second-degree felony for any doctor who performed the procedure.
Backers of the bill want a full House vote despite the fact that U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens blocked enforcement of two similar laws in Illinois and Wisconsin on November 30. The panel members believe that the Ohio bill is specific enough that to pass constitutional muster and in the event the court found a portion of the bill unconstitutional, it could strike down that portion while leaving the remainder in tact.
Dana Wilkie, director of Ohio NARAL, expressed concern that while anti-choice groups were consulted on this bill, abortion rights advocates were not. “It seems that they (committee members) have made up their minds and they’re unwilling to hear what the pro-choice community has to say on this issue,” said Wilkie.
