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| Courtesy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio |
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More than 30 defenders of a woman’s right to abortion rallied on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse Dec. 3 to protest a bill that would ban abortion after six weeks. A week later the bill went down to defeat in a 47-40 vote in the state House of Representatives. HB 248 would have outlawed abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detectable, around six weeks after conception and before many women know they are pregnant.
“We’re happy about the victory, but we know we have to remain vigilant for the next attack that’s coming from the anti-abortion forces,” Celeste Ribbins, director of communications for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, told the Militant in a phone interview Dec. 12. Ohio already has a 24-week limit, she said, and a woman must undergo mandatory state-directed counseling designed to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before receiving the procedure. |
| — MAGGIE TROWE |