Ohio House Passes Heartbeat Bill

[FloFTW]

...after a Rep. tells the story of her rape and abortion, and her colleagues fucking LAUGH at her. Watch the video.

www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2015/03/26/Fedor-reveals-rape-abortion-in-distant-past.html

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) became so angry during Wednesday’s debate on a controversial Ohio bill to ban most abortions that she revealed to her colleagues that she was once raped, became pregnant, and had an abortion.

“You don’t respect my reason, my rape, my abortion, and I guarantee you there are other women who should stand up with me and be courageous enough to speak that voice…,” she said on the House floor. “What you’re doing is so fundamentally inhuman, unconstitutional, and I’ve sat here too long.

“I dare any one of you to judge me, because there’s only one judge I’m going to face…,” she said. “I dare you to walk in my shoes. … This debate is purely political. I understand your story, but you don’t understand mine. I’m grateful for that freedom. It is a personal decision, and how dare government get into my business.”

The House on Wednesday voted 55-40 to send the bill to the Senate, which has previously blocked the measure. The House has now voted three times on the bill and passed it twice.

House Bill 69 would require a doctor to test for a fetal heartbeat. Doctors could be charged with a fifth-degree felony if they perform abortions after finding a heartbeat.

The bill would make exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger or if she is considered to be at serious risk of substantial impairment, but not for cases of rape or incest.

One Democrat joined Republicans in support.

Ten Republicans, including northwest Ohio Reps. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township) and Tim Brown (R., Bowling Green), voted “no.”

“I’ll tell you what we know for certain,” said Rep. Christina Hagan (R., Alliance), one of the bill’s chief sponsors.

“An unborn child has a beating heart. Should we allow that heart to be stopped? This legislation would honor life at the first detectable heartbeat by providing appropriate protection of the law to that unborn and unique individual.”

The backers of the Heartbeat Bill make no secret that they expect federal courts to strike it down as unconstitutional, giving the U.S. Supreme Court a chance to reconsider its landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision upholding abortion as a privacy right.

The high court has generally held since then that states can impose limits on abortions after a fetus is considered viable outside the womb, generally at about 24 weeks.

Ohio Right to Life does not support the Heartbeat Bill, voicing fear the Supreme Court might again uphold Roe and undermine other gains the movement has made in Ohio in recent years.

Among northwest Ohioans supporting the bill were Reps. Robert McColley (R., Napoleon), Bill Reineke (R., Tiffin), Robert Sprague (R., Findlay), Tony Burkley (R., Payne), Bob Cupp (R., Lima), and Jeffrey McClain (R., Upper Sandusky).

Joining Reps. Fedor, Sears, and Brown in the “no” column were Reps. Mike Sheehy (D., Oregon) and Michael Ashford (D., Toledo).

Ms. Fedor, 58, said after the vote that she has long struggled with the issue, but declined to go into further detail beyond saying it occurred while she was in the military.

She served in the military between 1975 and 1981, first in the U.S. Air Force and then the Ohio Air National Guard.

“It’s a personal matter, and to use this issue to sway one person’s story over another to get the wrong thing done isn’t right…,” she said.

A few minutes after the vote, Isabella Bunting, 6, played outside the chamber. Conceived via rape, the girl from Englewood, a northern suburb of Dayton, wore a shirt that declared “I (Heart) My Life.”

Her mother, Lauran, who has testified in support of the bill, had listened to Ms. Fedor’s comments on the House floor.

“It broke my heart,” she said. “The first thing I did was look at my daughter. OK, she just killed her ... When she was talking about women’s rights, my daughter’s a woman.”

[downtoearth]

I can't watch at work, but I am seething at your description.

[gault]

Fuck that mother using her child like that.

[mrsbro]

{flips table}

*feel free to add appropriate gif. I can't even bring myself to look.

[LoveTrains]

I can't watch the video. Who could be so heartless as to laugh at a woman recounting her rape and then subsequent pregnancy and abortion? WTF is wrong with people?

[Narwhal]

Mar 26, 2015 11:19:29 GMT -5 gault said:

Fuck that mother using her child like that.

OMG so much this! I know a girl who is adopted. She was conceived through rape. While I admire her biological mothers decision to carry, deliver and place her daughter for adoption, she is a child of rape. And now, as a grown woman, has some issues with her background.
It's easy to stick a tshirt making a statement on a SIX YEAR OLD! I wonder what that child will really think when, you know, she can UNDERSTAND THE DETAILS OF HER CONCEPTION. Clearly I'm not saying she will wish she weren't alive but I doubt she will be like, yippee skippe I'm a child of rape, but my god! At least I'm alive!! I would imagine there may be a bit more emotion involved. Especially if, God forbid, she were to be raped herself.
I hope that all made sense. I'm raging.

[Narwhal]

Double post. Sorry!

[charminglife]

I really hate the phrase 'honoring life' in any reference to anti-choice bills. It's just so hypocritical. Honor life in utero, but you're fucked once you're out.

It also sickens me that she was raped during her military service. Yet another issue politicians want to sweep under the rug.

[penguingrrl]

God these people disgust me. Anyone who could listen to that and decide that the slut should lose her rights because clearly only sluts get raped can DIAF.

[NewOrleans]

I like her callout of them as men and wish she had named her mockers.

Best case scenario, they were laughing at something off-task, meaning they weren't paying attention and are simply hypocrites because they didn't "honor life" enough to pay attention to another human experience and are immature dimwits with the attention span of a slack-jawed, pimple-faced 8th grade boy. Worst case scenario, they were laughing because rape is a real knee- slapper. Either way proves they are not self-disciplined or intellectual enough to be tasked with matters of legislation and rights.

as for the bill... It will get voted down in senate. Or it will pass and an injunction will be filed immediately.

[FloFTW]

Mar 26, 2015 12:05:55 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

I like her callout of them as men and wish she had named her mockers.

Best case scenario, they were laughing at something off-task, meaning they weren't paying attention and are simply hypocrites because they didn't "honor life" enough to pay attention to another human experience and are immature dimwits with the attention span of a slack-jawed, pimple-faced 8th grade boy. Worst case scenario, they were laughing because rape is a real knee- slapper. Either way proves they are not self-disciplined or intellectual enough to be tasked with matters of legislation and rights.

as for the bill... It will get voted down in senate. Or it will pass and an injunction will be filed immediately.

I do believe it will get voted down in Senate (AGAIN) but it is enraging that we keep going through this. This is the third time. And everyone - EVERYONE - knows it's unconstitutional. We have actual real problems to solve without this circus happening every 18 months.

So mad. I'm so mad.

PM me if you want to donate to my Abortion Access Bowl-a-Thon.

[msmerymac]

Mar 26, 2015 11:41:42 GMT -5 charminglife said:

I really hate the phrase 'honoring life' in any reference to anti-choice bills. It's just so hypocritical. Honor life in utero, but you're fucked once you're out.

It also sickens me that she was raped during her military service. Yet another issue politicians want to sweep under the rug.

Even if we had social welfare that made the US the most amazing place in the world in which to live, like LEAGUES better than Sweden, even, this is still a true statement. Mental anguish can result for some from carrying not just a child conceived of rape, but ANY child. I know women who would certainly consider attempting suicide if they were not allowed to terminate a pregnancy. Also, people are still assholes and women who become pregnant are sometimes involved in abusive relationships, or other bad situations. And of course, things like your own financial picture or career or education can NEVER be considered more important than a small fetus. The horror!

So even if we had universally subsidized childcare, and ended hunger and poverty in the US, and had a single payer health care system where all children and their parents were able to seek appropriate medical care, and our educational system was top-notch... yes, some of those things might discourage some women from aborting who do so today due to economic issues. But the fact is that banning abortion is always going to mean that the fetus is being put ahead of the woman and her needs and choices. 

[mbcdefg]

Mar 26, 2015 11:13:00 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

A few minutes after the vote, Isabella Bunting, 6, played outside the chamber. Conceived via rape, the girl from Englewood, a northern suburb of Dayton, wore a shirt that declared “I (Heart) My Life.”

Her mother, Lauran, who has testified in support of the bill, had listened to Ms. Fedor’s comments on the House floor.

“It broke my heart,” she said. “The first thing I did was look at my daughter. OK, she just killed her ... When she was talking about women’s rights, my daughter’s a woman.”

So she doesn't realize that this bill, if passed, would not have forced her to get an abortion?

[gault]

lol the asshole ignorant mom is all MY DAUGHTER IS A WOMAN
SO ARE YOU AND YOU COULD STILL BIRTH YOUR DAUGHTER IF THIS FAILS, CHUCKLEFUCK
CHOICES





YOU























THE POINT

[NewOrleans]

Mar 26, 2015 13:50:57 GMT -5 gault said:

YOU


THE POINT

She really does miss it.  She... chose to have a child.  Brilliant how that works.  Dummy.

I mean, what kind of logic fail is this?  "I have a child so you must have one too."  What is that, even?

[compassrose]

Fucking Ohio. I can't believe I live here again.

[secretlyevil]

[mcfelix]

Disgusting.

There is absolutely nothing that could make me change my very strongly pro-choice stance.

[chw57]

Mar 26, 2015 20:40:35 GMT -5 mcfelix said:

Disgusting.

There is absolutely nothing that could make me change my very strongly pro-choice stance.

This is where I am. Fuck those people for laughing at her

[sushi]

Jobs jobs jobs

[msmerymac]

Mar 26, 2015 13:21:15 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Mar 26, 2015 11:13:00 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

A few minutes after the vote, Isabella Bunting, 6, played outside the chamber. Conceived via rape, the girl from Englewood, a northern suburb of Dayton, wore a shirt that declared “I (Heart) My Life.”

Her mother, Lauran, who has testified in support of the bill, had listened to Ms. Fedor’s comments on the House floor.

“It broke my heart,” she said. “The first thing I did was look at my daughter. OK, she just killed her ... When she was talking about women’s rights, my daughter’s a woman.”

So she doesn't realize that this bill, if passed, would not have forced her to get an abortion?

It's possible she adopted her daughter. But still, whomever gave birth to her did so with abortion being, uh, legal, so logic fail.

[leeba25]

Nope, she was raped by her BF in HS, and later her dad tried to talk her into an abortion. She didn't want to do that, and didn't want to put the baby for adoption, so she kept her. liveactionnews.org/raped-by-someone-she-trusted-she-refused-abortion-and-is-raising-her-daughter-on-her-own/

Whatever. She's gross.

[tacosforlife]

I just can't with Ms. I (Heart) My Life.

I am very sorry she was raped. I am very glad that she was able to make the CHOICE that was best for her. I am glad that nobody forced her to get an abortion and that nobody forced her to place the baby for adoption. I would hope her experience would help her realize how horrifying it would be to be forced to deliver your rapist's baby.

If I were in that situation, I have no idea how I would react and what choice I would make. But no matter what, it should be MY choice, not the government's.

The lack of empathy is truly astounding.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I kind of wonder if Ms. Life is Great would feel the same way if she had to share custody with her rapist.