Trigger Ban, House Bill 598, First Hearing

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Contact: Aileen Day, [email protected]

Trigger Ban, House Bill 598, First Hearing

Columbus, Ohio — House Bill 598 had its first hearing today, where the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee heard testimony from the bill's sponsors. This bill would ban all abortions in Ohio if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade—which will likely happen this summer. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) introduced the bill in the Ohio House on March 15, 2022.

Statement from Lauren Blauvelt-Copelin, Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Advocacy:

"We're at a crisis point for abortion access in Ohio and across the country. We are almost certain how the conservative Supreme Court will rule on Mississippi's abortion ban. They will overturn 50 years of precedent and let state governments decide if the people in their state can access abortion. The plan to overturn Roe has been in the works for decades and the Supreme Court's inaction on Texas' Senate Bill 8 shows they are ready to pull the trigger.

The majority of Ohioans believe their neighbors should be able to access abortion—Republicans in the Ohio Statehouse need to start working for us and stop working against us."

There is a second trigger ban in the Ohio Statehouse in the Ohio Senate, Senate Bill 123, which would also ban abortion in Ohio if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe, sending the decision of legal abortion to the states. 26 states, including Ohio, are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe is overturned, leaving 36 million people forced to leave the state to access legal abortion.

According to Guttmacher, Ohioans would have to travel an increased 886% further to access abortion legally if Roe is overturned and the Ohio Statehouse bans abortion. As state politicians across the country succeed in restricting access to abortion, real people are paying the price—particularly people living with low income, Black people, and people of color, who might not have the resources to drive long distances, arrange for lodging, and jumping through all of the hoops that anti-abortion laws force on them.

###

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio supports advocacy for reproductive health and reproductive rights, including grassroots organizing, community education, and lobbying. www.ppao.org