· June 12, 2013

Legislation: Ohio House Bill 200 – Abortion Notification

Bill: House Bill 200 (full text, official bill analyses) Title: Abortion Notification Sponsors: Representative Hood Co-Sponsors:  Representatives Beck, Young, Huffman, Becker, Terhar, Hill, Blessing, Roegner, Maag, Hottinger, Brenner, Burkley, Schuring, Buchy, Boose, Hayes, Adams, J., Butler, Lynch, Retherford, Stautberg, Thompson, Wachtmann, Blair, Hall, Henne, McClain, Rosenberger, Slaby, Sprague, Johnson, Smith, Scherer, Romanchuk Bill Analysis:  This bill has a number of very concerning provisions. First it modifies the notification requirements prior to performing an abortion, requiring a physician to meet with a woman 48 hours, instead of the current 24 hours, prior to the abortion. The bill also requires additional documents to be provided to a woman considering an abortion including documents that outline the physiological and anatomical characteristics of the fetus. Among other changes the bill adds the requirement an ultrasound be performed and that the physician describe the fetus and its neurological development. Currently if the woman is experiencing a medical emergency or there is medical necessity the waiting period does not have to be carried out. This law change the definition of medical emergency from creating an “immediate threat of serious risk to the life or physical health of the woman” to “so complicates the medical condition of the woman that the death of the woman would result from the failure to immediately terminate the pregnancy.” It also eliminates medical necessity as a reason to perform an abortion without completing the waiting period. The bill also contains additional restrictions on physicians who perform abortions. The bill requires physicians  who performs an abortion to sign a conflict of interest disclaimer stating their gross income, or the facility’s, from the previous year and the percentage of income that was “obtained as fees for the performance of an abortion” along with a “statement concerning the monetary loss to the physician or facility that would result form the woman’s decision to carry the woman’s pregnancy to term.”  The bill makes any violation of this section of law a first degree felony and fines the offender 1 million dollars.  Status: Introduced in the House June 11, 2013.