Abortion in Cincinnati

Today, the Ohio ACLU announced a lawsuit challenging three abortion-related amendments passed in June as part of Ohio’s state budget bill. The suit alleges all three amendments violate the Ohio Constitution’s “single subject” rule and are therefore unconstitutional.

“To put it simply, none of these amendments have any place in the state budget bill,” said Susan Scheutzow, ACLU cooperating attorney and partner at the law firm of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz. “This massive bill is not intended to deal with new policy; the single subject of the budget should be the appropriation of funds for existing government programs or obligations."

One of the amendments in question bans public hospitals from making transfer agreements with abortion clinics. Another requires clinics to present patients with evidence of a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion.

The suit was filed on behalf of Preterm, a Cleveland women’s health clinic that provides contraception, birth control, pregnancy counseling, and abortion services.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis has announced that Stephanie Ranade-Krider will become the new executive director of Ohio's largest pro-life organization. Ranade-Krider will be responsible for all programs, activities and governmental advocacy related to the ORTL mission. She will begin her new position on August 4, 2014.

"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are delighted to welcome Stephanie, her wealth of knowledge and experience, and her proven leadership in serving others," said Mike Gonidakis. "Stephanie Ranade-Krider brings creativity and compassion to our mission. We are confident ORTL will make great progress under her leadership in expanding public understanding and appreciation for the enduring value of life in Ohio."

Prior to rejoining ORTL, Stephanie Ranade-Krider served as the program manager for the Governor's Cabinet Opiate Action Team (GCOAT), which is responsible for coordinating the Kasich Administration's cross-agency efforts to combat opiate abuse in Ohio. During her time with GCOAT, the state launched several new initiatives, including a pilot program to address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome; an initiative to encourage adults to Start Talking to kids about drug abuse; and expanded work with Ohio's courts to promote best practices at specialty dockets. Ranade-Krider formerly served as the Ohio Right to Life director of legislative affairs, overseeing the enactment of more pro-life legislation than during any previous Ohio General Assembly session.

As executive director of ORTL, Ranade-Krider will be responsible for daily operations, crafting and implementing a robust legislative agenda, increasing the grassroots presence throughout Ohio's 88 counties, and managing the ORTL staff and volunteers. Under Mrs. Ranade-Krider's leadership, ORTL will continue its aggressive focus on enacting laws and regulations to protect mothers and their children.

Abortion rights and women’s health will rank as key issues in the 2014 election, Ohio’s Democratic candidates for statewide office said Wednesday, because of Republicans’ efforts to pass several abortion-related laws last year.

“Unfortunately, it keeps getting tougher and tougher and tougher for women to avail themselves of rights that they believed they were entitled to,” Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald told reporters. “So I think it’s putting the issue front and center. ... I can’t think of a health care restriction that has been proposed or supported by Gov. (John) Kasich that specifically targets or affects men.”

Anti-abortion and Republican leaders say Ohioans support the restrictions. They say Democrats will lose support over their stance on abortion, especially among rural and moderate voters.

Read the rest of this article at LancasterEagleGazette.com

Yesterday evening, Representative Jim Buchy offered sponsor testimony for HB 307 which eliminates unnecessary costs, protects birth parents and adoptive couples, prevents fraud and minimizes the bureaucracy in the Ohio adoption process. The goal of the adoption reform legislation is to eliminate the countless and unnecessary roadblocks with adoption. The bill is co-sponsored by Representative Dorothy Pelanda.
 
"Placing the best interests of the birth parents and adoptive couples ahead of the bureaucracy, lawyers, and special interests will allow more Ohioans to adopt infants in a safe and effective manner" said Kayla Smith, Director of Legislative Affairs at Ohio Right to Life. "The outdated and expensive business model of adoption has harmed too many families and we thank Representative Buchy for his leadership to address this critical issue."
 
Many Ohio families believe infant domestic adoptions to be too expensive due to an accumulation of fees throughout the adoption process. The proposed legislation will reduce unnecessary expenses and eliminate fraud. Additionally, the current adoption $1,500 tax credit will increase to $10,000 to provide the gift of adoption to those middle income families who otherwise could not afford the process.

The new law will provide a birth father with pre-birth notice if the mother chooses an adoption plan during pregnancy. This notice allows the father to declare or deny parental rights before the birth of his child, thus expediting the finalization of the adoption, while ensuring a smoother transition for the child, the birth parents and the adopting family. 
 
Furthermore, the bill would allow for the adoption decree to be challenged for up to 60 days, rather than the current provision of 12 months, relieving the adoptive family from an unnecessary emotional burden, while still safeguarding the birth parents' rights.

This makes you wonder what's really going on in the Women's Med Center abortion clinics:

This is certainly a disturbing trend. Yet another Women's Med Center abortion clinic was forced to call paramedics to rush a woman to the hospital after a botched abortion. This incident occurred at the abortion clinic in Kettering, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. 

You can listen to a recording of the 911 call below.