An Ohio State legislator said a pregnancy resulting from rape could be an “opportunity” for the assailant during a hearing on a bill that would ban abortions in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade this summer. At a legislative hearing Wednesday, the bill’s sponsor, Democratic MP Jean Schmidt, defended the lack of an exception to the rape law. “It’s a shame it’s happening, but there is an opportunity for this woman, no matter how young or old, to decide what she’s going to do to help this life be a productive one,” Schmidt said. The lawmaker was answering a question from Democratic lawmaker Richard Brown, who asked Schmidt about a hypothetical scenario in which a 13-year-old girl became pregnant due to rape. “If a 13-year-old girl was raped by a serial rapist … this bill would require this 13-year-old to carry this criminal’s fetus until the end, regardless of any emotional or psychological damage or trauma that this 13-year-old girl may cause “, Said Brown. In response, Schmidt said, “Rape is a difficult subject,” but went on to say that “if a baby is born, it’s a human life and whether or not the mother terminates the pregnancy, the scars will not go away.” The long federal precedent established by Roe vs. Wade guarantees a constitutional right to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability or approximately 23-25 weeks of gestation. Both proponents and opponents of abortion are closely monitoring a case before the Conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which defies this standard and whether judges will undermine or overturn Roe’s precedent. If HB 598, which has not yet been passed by either Ohio legislature, becomes law, it will not take effect unless the Supreme Court overturns Roe’s previous one against Wade. The bill makes abortion a fourth-degree crime and criminalizes the use of medical abortions. The proposed legislation also stipulates that two doctors who do not work together must sign an abortion, unless the mother is found to be at risk of death and injury. Doctors can only have abortions if the mother’s life is in danger, but the bill does not specify these conditions, raising concerns among Democrats that the language would lead to confusion about when a doctor could provide life-saving care. Democrat Beth Liston asked Schmidt if the bill would prevent doctors from providing care for dangerous pregnancy-related conditions, such as ectopic pregnancy, a condition in which a fertilized egg is implanted outside the uterus. “When looking at ectopic pregnancies or other issues, it is generally not immediate that you may not have a 24-hour notice to prepare for this, because the person must be emotionally ready to lose their child. “losing their child,” says Schmidt. Ectopic pregnancies do not lead to a viable pregnancy and if they do break, potential bleeding can lead to injury or death to the pregnant woman if not treated immediately. In 2019, a different Republican in Ohio introduced a bill that no longer works, requiring doctors to “reimplant” ectopic pregnancies. The bill was widely criticized by medical professionals and the treatments it claimed required “science fiction,” said Daniel Grossman, OB / GYN and director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco. Washington Post. That same year, Ohio passed an unconstitutional “heartbeat bill” that banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law was quickly blocked by a federal judge. Schmidt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
