Columbus — The Ohio House Committee on Health heard opponent testimony on Senate Bill 28, which would force women to choose cremation or burial following an abortion. Following testimony, the committee voted to approve the bill. The legislation received bipartisan opposition as Republican Rep. Mike Duffey joined Democrats in voting No.
This attempt to shame women seeking a legal medical procedure, combined with increased costs to providers through unnecessary practices and burdensome reporting requirements, is an unconstitutional, undue burden. A strikingly similar proposal was blocked in Indiana by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt on September 25, 2017.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Deputy Director Jaime Miracle testified: “This bill isn’t about making sure women have options, it’s about limiting which options exist. Supporters of this bill say that it is about making sure women have a choice when it comes to the disposition of fetal remains. But that choice exists already. Right now, in clinics across the state, if a woman wishes to have the remains cremated or buried she has that right, and the clinic assists her in that process. The only thing the bill sponsors care about is shaming women who chose to have an abortion and the medical professionals who provide abortion care.”
If enacted, this bill would be the 21st attack on abortion rights and reproductive health care signed by Gov. John Kasich. His most recently signed unconstitutional abortion ban bill, prohibiting abortion if Down syndrome is a consideration, has been challenged by ACLU Ohio and several abortion providers because it is unconstitutional.
###