by Nomad
Yet another attempt to create a legislative obstacle for women trying to obtain a legal, safe and private abortion in Ohio.
When it comes to the war on women and their reproductive rights, the pro-life opposition appears willing to stop at nothing, no matter how outrageous.
Politically, it doesn't seem to make much sense. A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that 50 percent of Americans now call themselves pro-choice, including 54 percent of women and 46 percent of men. On the other hand, only 44 percent of respondents labeled themselves pro-life, the lowest response in more than five years.
That doesn't seem to make much difference to Ohio legislators, Republicans State Rep. Kyle Koehler, Sen. Joe Uecker, and Rep. Robert McColley. They have introduced a bill requiring women who have had abortions to complete an official form provided by the Ohio Department of Health.
This form would force women to indicate how they wish the fetus to be disposed of, that is, whether they would prefer to cremation or burial.
Clinics would be required to perform the designated method then could require the women treated to pay the cost, according to a Ohio Public Radio report.
There are just so many things wrong with the proposed legislation. For one thing, it is doubtful whether it would ever be considered constitutional.
That's because the key factor in the landmark 1972 Roe v. Wade SCOTUS decision was its infringement by the state on the woman's right to privacy. Such an infringement was warranted only if there was some kind of credible justification for state interference in that right to individual privacy.