Ohio has officially become the third state to ban abortions because of Down syndrome, as Gov. John Kasich signed into law House Bill 214. The law will take effect in March.
Under the new law, any abortionist who commits an abortion on a woman and knows that there is a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome could be charged with a fourth-degree felony and face up to 18 months in prison. The mother will face no charges or potential penalty. Ohio Right to Life praised Kasich for signing the bill, and released this statement on Twitter.
Our Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act just got signed into law! Check out our press release about it. Thank you @JohnKasich! #StandUpforDown pic.twitter.com/rCxPiTxyw1
— Ohio Right to Life (@ohiolife) December 22, 2017
“Now that the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act is law, unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are given a shot at life,” Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, said. “Ohio is and will continue to be a state that sees the lives of people with Down syndrome as lives worth living, thanks to this legislation.”
Currently, it’s estimated that about 67 percent of children with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States following a prenatal diagnosis. The bill was originally approved in the Ohio Senate on a 20 to 12 vote before passing the legislature. The abortion industry, however, is furious.
“When a woman receives a diagnosis of Down syndrome during her pregnancy, the last thing she needs is Gov. Kasich barging in to tell her what’s best for her family,” NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said in a statement.
Choosing to take the life of a preborn child because of Down syndrome isn’t a woman choosing what is best for her family — it is the most lethal form of discrimination. This discrimination in full swing in places like Iceland and Denmark, where almost every baby diagnosed with Down syndrome is aborted.
Now, thanks to Gov. Kasich, that won’t be the case in Ohio.
