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Ohio Republicans Introduce Bill to Classify Abortion as Homicide and Ban All Procedures

It aims to overturn Ohio’s 2023 voter-approved abortion amendment through U.S. constitutional equal protection arguments.

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Overview

  • Republican state Reps. Levi Dean and Johnathan Newman will formally file the Prenatal Equal Protection Act in Columbus to treat abortion as homicide
  • The legislation would grant fetuses full legal personhood from fertilization and criminalize abortion except for spontaneous miscarriage or to save the pregnant woman’s life
  • Supporters contend the measure invokes the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause to supersede Ohio’s existing abortion rights amendment
  • Opponents including abortion rights advocates and Ohio Right to Life warn it defies voter approval, risks penalizing women and providers, and could restrict IVF and some contraceptives
  • Legal analysts say the proposal is likely to prompt immediate court challenges that could reach Ohio’s Supreme Court or the U.S. Supreme Court