Ohio Likely to Ban Abortion of Fetuses Diagnosed With Down Syndrome

Ohio antiabortion groups are pushing for legislation to be passed regarding illegalization of a doctor performing abortion on a woman who wants to avoid having a baby with Down syndrome.

The legislature is expected to approve the measure in the fall because lawmakers endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee, which supports the bill, make up more than two-thirds of both houses.

According to a review of 24 studies from 1995 to 2011, when an unborn baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome, the pregnancy is terminated between 67 percent and 85 percent of the time.

In addition to being intellectually disabled, individuals with Down Syndrome are more like to suffer from a number of physical ailments like congenital heart disease and leukemia. The director of the Cuyahoga County chapter of Ohio Right to Life said her doctors tried to pressure her into abortion after a screening showed her baby could have Down syndrome.

Other parents of children with Down syndrome, like journalist David Perry, think of the proposed ban as a “wedge issue” and a disingenuous attempt on the part of the pro-life movement to “garner sympathy from moderates”. Rachel Mullen now heads a county chapter of the Ohio Right to Life, and backs HB 131. Others might argue that aborting a child exclusively on the grounds that he/she has a disability goes in line with eugenic abortions – or the desire to eliminate “bad seeds” or genes from the human race.

According to abortion rights lawyers, the law would violate the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. “I can’t imagine how any of these laws would be enforceable.”

The executive director of Naral Pro-Choice Ohio, Kellie Copeland, agreed and said, “This is interference with a medical decision following a complicated diagnosis”.

Indeed, women with low-paying jobs, unstable home lives, or no education may want to undergo an abortion anyway – whether or not the child has Down syndrome.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who is running for president, opposes abortion but has not yet taken a position on this bill. By considering the condition of the fetus, it also comes close to recognizing the fetus as a person. “Contraception is critical to helping women plan their pregnancies and reducing the infant mortality rate in the state of Ohio.”