Abortion

Ohio GOP Proposes Near-Total Abortion Ban

Published JUN 25 2025

Story

Above: An abortion rights supporter holds a sign on stage after winning the referendum on a measure to enshrine a right to abortion in Ohio's Constitution, in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 7, 2023. Image credit: Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

Ohio Republican lawmakers proposed the "Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act," which would ban almost all abortions and criminalize the procedure, overturning the state's 2023 constitutional amendment that protects reproductive rights.
Ohio Capital Journal
ABC
Statenews
WLWT
The proposed legislation would use the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment equal protection clause to grant personhood rights from fertilization, effectively classifying abortion as homicide and potentially subjecting women who receive abortions to charges.
News5Cleveland
ABC
Legislature
Republican state Representatives Levi Dean and Jonathan Newman worked with anti-abortion advocate Austin Beigel to introduce the bill, which would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. It does, however, include exceptions in cases of miscarriage or when the mother's life is at risk.
Statenews
ABC
Ohio Capital Journal
WLWT
The bill would also impact in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and certain forms of contraception like IUDs by applying equal protection to "preborn humans," potentially making these treatments illegal.
News5Cleveland
Ohio Capital Journal
Newsweek
In November 2023, 57% of Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights, including abortion, fertility treatments, contraception, and miscarriage care.
News5Cleveland
ABC
ap
Major anti-abortion organizations, including Ohio Right to Life, oppose the legislation, with President Mike Gonidakis stating his group has never supported criminalizing women for having abortions.
News5Cleveland
Statenews
Independent

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The Spin

Republican narrative

This legislation acknowledges the fundamental principle that all human beings are entitled to equal protection under the law from the moment of conception. The 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause supersedes state constitutional amendments that deny fundamental rights to preborn persons — sometimes standing for what's right means opposing popular opinion, just as abolitionists once opposed slavery despite majority support.

Ohio Capital Journal

Democratic narrative

This extreme bill violates the clear will of Ohio voters, who overwhelmingly approved reproductive rights protections in 2023. Criminalizing women's healthcare decisions and banning IVF treatments that help families conceive represents government overreach into deeply personal medical decisions. The legislation threatens women's lives and bodily autonomy while ignoring constitutional protections.

News5Cleveland

Democrats