WHEREAS, In the current deliberations over a final version of | 10 |
comprehensive health care legislation, the United States Congress | 11 |
is considering provisions that may increase access to abortion, | 12 |
authorize direct or indirect federal or state funding for abortion | 13 |
services, require private insurers to offer health plans that | 14 |
include abortion coverage, and provide individuals with federally | 15 |
subsidized public health plans that include abortion coverage; and | 16 |
WHEREAS, In previous sessions of Congress, legislation such | 17 |
as the Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 1964 and S. 1173 of the 110th | 18 |
Congress) has been introduced and sought a declaration that it is | 19 |
the policy of the United States that every woman has the | 20 |
fundamental right to choose to bear a child, terminate a pregnancy | 21 |
prior to fetal viability, or terminate a pregnancy after fetal | 22 |
viability when necessary to protect her life or her health, and | 23 |
also sought a prohibition on federal, state, or local governmental | 24 |
entities from denying or interfering with a woman's right to | 25 |
exercise such choices or discriminating against the exercise of | 26 |
those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, | 27 |
facilities, services, or information; and | 28 |
WHEREAS, Any federal legislation that increases access to | 29 |
abortion is a radical attempt to enshrine abortion-on-demand into | 30 |
American law, to sweep aside existing laws that the majority of | 31 |
Americans support, such as requirements involving fully informed | 32 |
consent, parental involvement, and that licensed physicians | 33 |
perform abortions, and seeks to prevent states from enacting | 34 |
similar protective measures in the future; and | 35 |
WHEREAS, Such federal legislation not only usurps the moral | 36 |
right of every American to condemn a practice that has a | 37 |
substantial negative impact on women and a deleterious effect on | 38 |
society as a whole, it also constitutes a cynical attempt to | 39 |
prematurely end the debate over abortion and declare "victory" in | 40 |
the face of mounting evidence that the American public does not | 41 |
support the vast majority of abortions being performed in the | 42 |
United States each year; now therefore be it | 43 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly | 44 |
of the State of Ohio, urge the President of the United States and | 45 |
the Congress of the United States to oppose any legislation that | 46 |
in any manner increases access to or funding for abortion, | 47 |
including such provisions of any final version of comprehensive | 48 |
health care legislation or any legislation introduced during the | 49 |
111th Congress that is the same as or similar to the Freedom of | 50 |
Choice Act; and be it further | 51 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly | 52 |
authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the | 53 |
United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of | 54 |
Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and the Secretary of | 55 |
the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional | 56 |
delegation, the Governor of the State of Ohio, and the news media | 57 |
of Ohio. | 58 |