The Heartbeat Bill Passed… What’s Next?
We were thrilled to stand beside so many other pro-life organizations, while Governor Mike DeWine signed the Heartbeat Bill into law on Thursday. One of the most amazing things about this whole process has been the media attention that the Heartbeat Bill has received. To think that people across America who may otherwise be ambivalent about abortion were educated, through media coverage, that an unborn babies heart is detectable as early as six weeks is incredible. The educational value of this legislation cannot be denied.
I’d be remiss not to mention that, with the current make up of the Supreme Court, the Heartbeat Bill could indeed be a good vehicle to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Its far past time that the Court reconsider this poorly decided decision. Our knowledge of fetal development and increasing medical technology all point to how out-dated Roe‘s standard is.
The question now, though, is what’s next? Now that the Ohio Heartbeat Bill has been signed and passed, what will the pro-life movement do? I wanted to write this, because there is much more on the horizon for the pro-life movement in Ohio.
Back in January, Ohio Right to Life announced our legislative agenda (see right), and while the Heartbeat Bill was on the top of the list, it is certainly not our only priority for the 2019-2020 General Assembly. The Unborn Child Dignity Act has been passed in the Ohio Senate and is working its way through the House right now.
Jessica Warner, our Director of Legislative Affairs, is working with pro-life legislators to get more funding for pregnancy centers put in the Ohio biennial operating budget. We want to put our (state) money where our mouth is, and support these vital centers that provide such important services to women at little to no cost.
We’re also going to begin working on Abortion Pill Reversal legislation, so Ohio women know that, if they take the first pill in a chemical abortion regimen and regret their decision, there is a chance that they could save their unborn child.
These are just a few of the things that we will be working on in the coming days and months. But the fact of the matter is, we can’t do any of this without your support. We are a non-profit organization, and we depend on supporters like you, who have a deep passion for the dignity of every human life.
We will need your support every step of the way as we pursue the rest of our legislative agenda in the coming days, weeks and months.
Step by step, we are building a more pro-life Ohio. If we continue to work together, we will see the end of abortion on demand in our state!
With you for Life,
Stephanie Ranade Krider
Vice President & Executive Director, Ohio Right to Life