Ohio Republicans may have been over-excited by the Democrats' debacle Tuesday. And it wasn't just in Virginia. They had their own little congressional election in an open suburan/rural district (OH-15) south and west of Columbus. As expected, crackpot Mike Carey (R) beat Allison Russo (D). Russo won in 2 blue counties and lost in 10. The final voted was 93,255 (58.3%) to 66,757 (41.7%). The PVI is R+9, so even in a good year for Democrats-- which this wasn't-- it would be very hard to win a district like this. But Carey, an especially awful candidate (a Trump-endorsed coal lobbyist), did even better than Trump did in the district, where he beat Biden 56.3% to 42.2%.
So what did the state GOP electeds decide to do with that feisty feeling? Ban abortions, what else? A report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer by Jeremy Pelzer got right to the point: "Ohio Republican lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that would ban all abortions in Ohio-- going further than the Texas anti-abortion law argued before the U.S. Supreme Court Monday. House Bill 480, co-sponsored by more than half of Ohio House Republicans, would ban all abortions in Ohio. Like the Texas law currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, HB480 would also allow 'any person' to file civil lawsuits seeking $10,000 or more against anyone in Ohio who perform abortions or 'knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion,' including paying for it via insurance."
Texas' bill is clearly unconstitutional; Ohio's is even more clearly unconstitutional since Texas bans any abortion within 6 weeks of conception. Ohio Republicans wants to ban all abortions; period. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, although the rapist isn't allowed to claim the bounty by turning in his victim. His bestie can though.
“The sanctity of human life, born and preborn, must be preserved in Ohio,” said state Rep. Jena Powell, a Darke County Republican who introduced the bill, in a statement. “The 2363 Act is about protecting our fundamental, constitutional right to be born and live. Abortion kills children, scars families, and harms women. We can and must do better.”
The bill’s other primary co-sponsor, 26-year-old Republican state Rep. Thomas Hall of Butler County, noted in a statement that he and Powell, the two youngest members of the Ohio House, “are part of the generation that will end abortion in Ohio and across America.”
Thirty-three other House Republicans are co-sponsoring the bill; their caucus holds a 64-35 majority in the chamber.
...The bill was denounced by abortion-rights groups, as well as Democrats such as Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes and Dayton Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley.
“It’s an egregious assault on women, a dangerous attack on healthcare rights and an embarrassment for our state. Ohio Republicans want to control women, but we won’t be silent,” said Sykes, an Akron Democrat, in a statement. “Criminalizing care will disproportionately impact women of color, nonbinary people and those already at a disadvantage in our health and criminal justice system. ...Once again, Republicans are showing that the everyday needs of Ohioans are less important than scoring political points, likes and retweets.”
Lauren Blauvelt-Copelin of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio said in a statement that “Ohio has once again proved it is one of the most extreme states for abortion access.
“Banning abortion would be catastrophic to communities across Ohio,” added Blauvelt-Copelin, the group’s vice president of government affairs and public advocacy. “Lawmakers and anti-abortion vigilantes have no business making personal medical decisions for their neighbors.”
Two years ago, Ohio became one of a dozen states to pass a so-called “heartbeat bill,” which bans abortions performed after a fetal heartbeat can be detected-- which is usually about six weeks after conception, often before a woman even knows she’s pregnant. However, a federal judge blocked Ohio’s law from taking effect.
...Next month, the Supreme Court is scheduled to review a separate case in which the state of Mississippi is asking the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade and uphold the state’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks. Roe v. Wade establishes the right to an abortion until a fetus is viable or about 22 weeks into a pregnancy.
The progressive in the race for Ohio's open Senate seat, Morgan Harper, told me she "knew this would happen. Emboldened by a right-wing Supreme Court, Ohio Republicans are champing at the bit to outlaw abortion. When Texas's outrageous vigilante law came into effect, my opponent JD Vance said that Republican legislators in every state should replicate it-- and that's exactly what Ohio Republicans are now doing. We can't afford to be complacent. We must mobilize and fight these attacks on women's rights and reproductive health with everything we've got. Roe v Wade is hanging by a thread. We cannot elect a United States Senator from Ohio who is anti-choice. We must elect a Senator who has always and will always stand up for women-- and I'm the only one in this race who has."
All the Republicans running for the Senate seat are vehemently anti-Choice and the other Democrats in the race, Schumer-recruited Tim Ryan, has been anti-Choice most of his life and recently switched to being quietly pro-Choice. Quietly pro-Choice isn't what's called for now. Aggressively pro-Choice, and proud of it, is. Please consider a contribution to Morgan's campaign here. "Last night's results," said Harper on Wednesday, "show us that Democrats can't keep relying on the same old playbook. Voters are rejecting career politicians. New, exciting candidates with fresh ideas who energize and turn out voters are our only pathway to victory. Most importantly, Democrats need to have a forward-looking agenda and start delivering results that tangibly improve people's lives. We aren't going to win if we don't."