Ohio lawmakers seek abortion ban

The reactionary effort to undermine women’s rights continues in the Ohio state House of Representatives. In late July,

a bill was submitted to the Ohio House of Representatives that would effectively ban abortion—even in cases of rape or danger to the woman’s life.

H.B. 287 would require any woman seeking an abortion to obtain informed written consent from the male partner.

Under the bill, if the father is unknown, the woman must submit to a paternity test. If she gets the abortion without consent or with falsified consent, she is guilty of “abortion fraud”—defined as a first-degree misdemeanor. If a man falsely consents, he is liable for a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

The issue of abortion is a women’s health issue. The demand for access to abortion recognizes women as human beings with a right to say what happens to their bodies—not property whose future is determined by someone else or the capitalist state.