This week the General Assembly held a small number of meetings. The big news of the week was the passage of redistricting reform, which is the process by which we draw legislative districts. The big news of the week for us actually came out of the judicial system. The Ohio Supreme Court issued two rulings against abortion clinics which will go a long way to protect the unborn and the health of women in Ohio (more detail below). 

FEATURED BILL OF THE WEEK:

ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL INTRODUCED

This week, Ohio Senator Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) introduced a bill that would bring Oregon-like assisted suicide to Ohio. Senator Tavares has called the bill the “Death With Dignity Bill” and says the bill “will allow mentally competent Ohioans with a terminal condition to request and self-administer medication to end their life peacefully after meeting a series of requirements.”CCV adamantly opposes such legislation because it is bad for patients and violates fundamental principles of medicine. According to a recent report from the New England Journal of Medicine, more than 400 patients who died by assisted suicide did not request it. In Canada, conscientious objectors are being prohibited from opting out of providing assisted suicide. The Oregon bill, which this bill is based on, allows for assisted suicide for basic, treatable conditions and mental illnesses.This bill could require doctors to violate the Hippocratic Oath that they have to take of “do no harm.” It undermines important safeguards that protect our loved ones and most vulnerable people. CCV will continue to do the work to educate members of the General Assembly about this bill and fight against this culture of death bill. 

QUICK HITS

• House Bill 160, which would provide protected class status for people who self-identify or are perceived as being in a class that identifies with their sexual orientation or gender identity, did not receive a hearing this week. We are communicating with several members of the General Assembly at this time and need your help to keep the momentum against the bill strong. Please visit our web page on this issue to see what you can do here.
• The Ohio Supreme Court issued two rulings this week, both written by Justice Terrence O’Donnell, which protected the health and safety of the unborn and women in Ohio. First, was a case appealed to the Court by the Ohio Department of Health. The issue was whether an abortion clinic could operate without a proper transfer agreement with a hospital. Transfer agreements are necessary at ambulatory surgical facilities, such as abortion clinics, to protect the health of the patients. The Court upheld a ruling by the Ohio Department of Health that the transfer agreements held by abortion clinic Capital Care Network of Toledo are not adequate under Ohio law. Second, the Court ruled that an abortion clinic in Cleveland did not have standing to challenge certain Ohio state budget provisions. These were both a big wins for the pro-life movement and the rule of law in Ohio.

 Please reach out to your member of the General Assembly to speak your mind about these bills and others that you care about. You can find your member here.