Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Personhood Bill Despite Court Rulings In The Past Blocking Similar Legislation
The Washington Post: Ohio Lawmakers Propose Bill That Would Totally Ban Abortion, Give Fetuses The Rights Of People
A new bill sponsored by two Republican Ohio lawmakers would completely end the practice of abortion in the state — a sweeping measure one local abortion rights advocate said “would strip every person who can get pregnant of their bodily autonomy.” State Reps. Ron Hood and Candice Keller are the lead sponsors of House Bill 413, which, among other provisions, seeks to legally recognize unborn fetuses as people, according to a news release from the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio dated Thursday and obtained by The Washington Post. Anyone who performs an abortion, according to the release, would be “subject to already existing murder statutes.” (Brice-Saddler and Knowles, 11/14)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio State Lawmakers Propose Total Abortion Ban
A new bill, sponsored by state Reps. Candice Keller and Ron Hood, both Republicans, also would declare unborn fetuses as people entitled to full legal protection. This would mean that any doctors who perform abortions in Ohio would be charged with murder, according to a Thursday news release from the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio. The group is a not affiliated with Ohio Right to Life, the state’s most prominent anti-abortion group. (Tobias, 11/14)
Meanwhile, in other news on women's health and abortion —
Reuters: U.S. Raps Global Health Summit Over Abortion, Sex Education
Ten countries - including the United States, Brazil and Egypt - criticized a global conference on sexual and reproductive health on Thursday, saying it promoted abortion and sex education. Heads of state, financial institutions and donors were among the 9,500 delegates in Nairobi this week to address maternal mortality, violence against women and voluntary family planning. But 10 of the United Nation’s 192 member states said they did not support the International Conference on Population and Development’s (ICPD) use of the term “sexual and reproductive health and rights” as it could be used to promote abortion. (Bhalla, 11/14)
Kansas City Star: Parson Under Fire As Congress Reviews Abortion Restrictions
The chief medical officer of Missouri’s only abortion clinic described for members of Congress Thursday the trauma patients experienced when the state sought to require all women seeking abortions to undergo a pelvic exam. (Lowry and Thomas, 11/14)
