Abortion rights are once again under attack, and this time, there might not be a Supreme Court willing to stand up in defense.
The Ohio General Assembly approved a bill Tuesday night which would ban abortions after the fetus heartbeat becomes detectable. This generally occurs six weeks after a woman first becomes pregnant. Unfortunately for any Ohio women hoping for fair access to health services, this cutoff point comes before many women realize they’re pregnant.
As the most restrictive abortion law in the country, this bill is a clear attack on women’s health care. Anyone in denial that President-elect Donald Trump will have a direct effect on harming the interests of low-income women should wake up. This isn’t the last of these bills, and we have to be ready.
Lawmakers behind the bill have openly stated that though they were previously concerned about passing such a strong restriction, Trump’s election emboldened them to move ahead. They were right to wait — federal courts have regularly shot down similar “heartbeat” bills as unconstitutional and the Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals.
But Trump has pledged to appoint a Supreme Court Justice who would support overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 high court decision that legalized abortion nationally. Under that ruling, abortions are legal until the point of viability, which is typically pegged at about 24 weeks. In all likelihood, Ohio legislators are now free to functionally revoke the rights people have exercised for nearly half a century.
The implications of imposing such a small access window are severe. Women in need of abortion services will potentially have a matter of days to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives. It takes a month to realize a period is late and two weeks can easily pass off as normal lateness. That’s six weeks gone, and suddenly a life-altering decision is no longer a decision at all.
Women could potentially seek an abortion in a different state, but that’s not an actual option for people from low-income households. These women want or need abortions for any number of reasons, a primary one being that they lack sufficient resources to raise a child. It’s more likely than not that these same people would have difficulty taking time off from work or travel expenses to get help and fully recover.
Ohio’s restriction also includes no provision for victims of rape or incest, meaning that women will potentially have to give birth to the children of their attackers without any say in the matter. These circumstances have the potential to burden survivors with more emotional and mental anguish for years — not elements of healthy homes.
Republican Gov. John Kasich still has to sign the bill within 10 days for it to become law, but his only concern prior to its proposal was constitutionality. Now, that barrier is gone.
It may not be January yet, but make no mistake: We’ve entered Trump’s America.