Ohio Bill Would Make Abortion Illegal Without Paternal Consent
    Feminist Daily News Wire

    Thursday 02 August 2007

    A group of Ohio state legislators have submitted a bill that would ban women from obtaining abortions without consent from the man who impregnated her. The proposal comes two weeks after Rep. Tom Brinkman proposed a law that would ban all abortions in Ohio.

    In addition to mandating that abortion providers obtain paternal consent before proceeding with an abortion, the proposed bill would also require women to provide a list of previous sexual partners in cases where the fetus' paternity was unknown. Abortion providers would then have to perform paternity tests.

    Supporters of the bill tout it as a measure that would give men a say in the abortion decision. If the bill is passed, women in violation of the law will be tried criminally for abortion fraud, a first-degree misdemeanor. Men falsely claiming paternity and medical providers who perform abortions without paternal consent would be similarly charged.

    "This extreme bill shows just how far some of our state legislatures are willing to go to rally a far-right base that is frustrated with the pro-choice gains made in the last election," said NARAL Pro-choice Ohio executive director Kellie Copeland. "It is completely out of touch with Ohio's mainstream values. This measure is a clear attack on a woman's freedom and privacy."

    The Record-Courier reports that Brinkman's abortion ban is unlikely to pass, but Adams' has an outside chance at becoming law.