Forced Birthers in Ohio want to amend the state constitution to classify all abortions of all types as “aggravated murder.” As if that’s not enough, the proposed measure would put birth control in the same category — aggravated murder.
The proposed constitutional amendment would "prohibit abortion of all unborn human beings, without exception.”
The ballot language classifies an "unborn human" as being "an individual organism ... from fertilization, whether fertilization occurs inside or outside of a human, until live birth."
A violation would be aggravated murder, punishable by a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Abortion in Ohio would be prosecuted as murder under ballot proposal
Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, said the issue "would punish women, plain and simple. If passed, women and doctors would be imprisoned for any abortion, even one to save a woman’s life. Also, the language would block prescription birth control, emergency contraception, IUDs, and could impact access to in-vitro fertilization."
According to Ohio law, a proposed constitutional amendment is required to have a signature total that is equal to 10 percent of votes cast for Governor in the previous election. In this case, the people working to get this amendment on the ballot need at least 305,591 signatures. Those signatures must come from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. In those counties, the signatures have to total at least five percent of the votes cast for governor in the previous election.
Similar proposals have been made in other states (see Oklahoma) but were ruled to be unconstitutional before being put on the ballot — yet Forced Birthers seem forever willing to waste taxpayer dollars on their campaign to force women and America back to the dark old days when coat hangers were used as home remedies. Remember, too, that this is John Kasich’s state, where he’s quietly earned his well-deserved reputation for being one of America’s most anti-choice governors.
