The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 27, 2015

Ohio Lawmaker Discloses Her Abortion, Denounces "Inhuman" Anti-Choice Bill 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
Ohio House lawmakers have passed a bill that would make most abortions a
felony offense. The bill would ban abortion after a fetal or embryonic
heartbeat is detectable, which happens in the earliest stages of
pregnancy when many women have not realized they are pregnant. Doctors
who violate the law would face up to a year in prison. Ohio State Rep.
Teresa Fedor rose to denounce the bill, disclosing she had had an
abortion after she was raped while serving in the military.

State Rep. Teresa Fedor: "What you're doing is so fundamentally unhuman,
unconstitutional. And I've sat here too long. And I dare every one of
you to judge me, because there is only one judge I'm going to face, and
I've heard the word 'judge.' And you deserve my lecture right now. I
dare you to walk in my shoes, and walk after I leave this chamber. And I
dare you to vote for this bill, because you know it's fundamentally
inhuman for you to do so."

Earlier this month, another lawmaker in Arizona, State Rep. Victoria
Steele, disclosed her experience with child sexual abuse during a debate
over another anti-choice bill. The Arizona bill passed and is in the
hands of Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. It bans abortion coverage in health
plans purchased through the federal exchange, and requires doctors to
tell women they can potentially reverse a drug-induced abortion, despite
the lack of any scientific evidence.

 

.