Bill > HB370

This bill proposes to enact the Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act, which aims to provide legal protections for unborn children from the moment of fertilization. The bill defines a "person" as including a human child from the beginning of biological development, effectively establishing legal personhood for fertilized eggs. Its key provisions acknowledge the sanctity of human life, seek to follow the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, and completely abolish abortion in Ohio. The bill includes specific protections and exceptions, such as allowing medical procedures that attempt to save both mother and child, exempting spontaneous miscarriages, and providing a duress defense for mothers facing threats. The legislation would apply criminal and civil laws to protect unborn children's lives equally to born persons, repealing existing provisions that permit what it terms "prenatal homicide or assault." The bill emphasizes constitutional supremacy and aims to ensure due process protections for all persons potentially affected by these new legal definitions. Importantly, the bill explicitly states its intent to entirely abolish abortion in the state of Ohio, representing a comprehensive approach to restricting reproductive rights.

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https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb370