Ohio Legislature Moves to Protect the Disabled Unborn

Abortion advocates are in an uproar as Ohio lawmakers consider House Bill 135, which would prohibit the abortion of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome (child with Down syndrome shown), a genetic chromosome 21 condition causing developmental and intellectual delays. Statistics show that 50 to 80 percent of pregnancies where this disorder is present end in abortion. If this bill is approved, it would make Ohio the second state in the nation with laws of this nature.

 

In 2013, North Dakota passed HB1305 banning abortions of infants not only with Down syndrome, but with any “genetic abnormality or a potential for a genetic abnormality.” This prohibition also extends to abortions based on the sex of the child.

 

Why all the fuss over HB 135? This mandate is different in that it seems to address the motive of the woman seeking the abortion. The bill’s cosponsor, Republican state Representative Sarah LaTourette, states:

 

While I make no effort to conceal my pro-life convictions, I firmly believe this bill is about discrimination, not abortion. Choosing to end an individual’s life simply because they are different, or might have Down syndrome, is discrimination. There is simply no other way to look at it.

 

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