One of the leading propaganda claims of the forced-birthers since they began their crusade against women’s reproductive rights has been that they want to ensure women are safely treated at abortion clinics. That, of course, is something every sane person wants. But this professed concern from the forced-birthers is actually a clumsy distraction from the real goal of ending all legal abortion. Doing so would gravely damage women’s health and safety, as hundreds of thousands sought illegal abortions any way they could get one. That makes no difference to those who believe abortion is the devil’s handiwork.
In Ohio, Republican lawmakers are readying another round of legislation that would make abortion more difficult and expensive by banning telemedicine abortions. At the same time, they want the state to back a bogus “abortion reversal” process that experts say is dangerous and unworkable. If passed, the stack of medically unnecessary and medically suspect laws governing abortion in Ohio will rise. From 2011 to 2017, one-half of Ohio’s 18 abortion clinics had to close their doors because of such laws.