Ohio Poised To Pass Restrictive Abortion Law

No lessons learned from the election, it seems

News broke yesterday that legislators may have reached a compromise on Ohio House Bill 125 which would ban essentially all abortions in the state. Ohio's "lame duck" legislative session starts next week, and legislators indicate they may pass HB 125 before the end of the year.

It seems some state legislators learned nothing from the recent 2012 elections. Issues like cuts to funding for Planned Parenthood and access to contraception became major campaign points. Several federal candidates were embroiled in controversy after they expressed support for bans on abortion even in the case of rape or incest. And what was the result? Women in swing states—like Ohio—became increasingly concerned about their ability to make healthcare decisions. The gender gap between pro-choice and anti-choice candidates widened, and many candidates who took extreme positions on access to reproductive healthcare were defeated. Voters who care about women's health care made it clear that there are political costs to politicians' attempts to interfere.