The Ohio Legislature is poised to take up the issue of banning abortions sought due to a Down syndrome diagnosis, the New York Times reports.
“You go to any supermarket or mall and see these families who just happen to have a child with Down syndrome, and they will tell you how fortunate they are to have those children,” Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis said, explaining the organization has prioritized the ban due to the likelihood of DS findings leading to abortion. “Pretty soon, we’re going to find the gene for autism. Are we going to abort for that, too?”
But NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio executive director Kellie Copeland blasted the move as “interference with a medical decision following a complicated diagnosis,” arguing that “not knowing the family and the circumstances, the legislature can’t possibly take into account all the factors involved.”
The bill is expected to easily clear the legislature due to pro-lifers holding over two-thirds of the seats in each chamber, though Ohio Governor John Kasich has yet to comment on whether he would sign it. As Live Action News has previously covered, several recent statements indicate Kasich may be attempting to stake out a more centrist position on abortion as he runs for president.
Last month, Live Action also highlighted the contention of Amy Julia Becker, the mother of a Down syndrome child, that “it impoverishes us all when we selectively abort babies based upon particular characteristics,” and that she “hate[s] the thought that mothers of children with Down syndrome think they are alone. Yes, some women choose abortion when they see a karyotype with three 21st chromosomes. But many others choose life.”
