Akron — Rep. Jennifer Gross has introduced House Bill 421, which mandates forced ultrasounds and factually inaccurate statements about abortion.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “It’s no surprise that as Ohioans are waking up to headlines about more gerrymandering, they’re also learning that a new abortion restriction is being proposed. Ohio voters did not ask for this reckless Republican agenda, but here they are stigmatizing abortion providers and shaming and frightening their patients.
“What Rep. Gross is pushing is inexcusable. Abortion does not cause breast cancer or depression. Period. Her attempt to force doctors to tell lies to patients is medical malpractice. At no point should a politician mandate that a doctor lie to their patient—but especially not during a pandemic when communication and trust between patients and their physicians is even more important.”
Abortion remains legal and available in Ohio. Our state currently has nine abortion providers, six of which offer full in-clinic services. Find the full list of clinics at https://prochoiceohio.org/clinics/
Note on language: Bill proponents will likely refer to this law as “informed consent,” which is a biased term that should be avoided. A patient should not be considered to be “informed” by medically inaccurate propaganda.
Additional resources:
American Cancer Society: “Scientific research studies have not found a cause-and-effect relationship between abortion and breast cancer.”
American College of Gynecologists: “More rigorous recent studies demonstrate no causal relationship between induced abortion and a subsequent increase in breast cancer risk.”
Susan G. Komen: “Research clearly shows abortion (also called induced abortion) does not increase the risk of breast cancer.”