Governor John Kasich of Ohio has signed into law a bill meant to strengthen the parental consent law in place that prohibits teens from getting an abortion without their parents’ consent is moving along in the legislative process.
House Bill 63 and Senate Bill 8 would revise Ohio’s current judicial bypass provision in the parental consent on abortion law. This bill will strengthen current law by requiring a “clear and convincing evidence” standard, require judges to specifically inquire about the minor’s understanding of the possible physical and emotional complications of an abortion, and require judges to question how much the minor has been prepped to respond to such questions.
Parental involvement laws like consent and notification have proven very effective in lowering the number of teen abortions, but abortion businesses have sometimes turned to pro-abortion judges to rubber stamp a judicial bypass for an abortion that allows a teen to keep her parents in the dark. The provision is meant for very rare cases in which a young girl may be subjected to physical abuse for telling her parents about a desired abortion — not for any case in which a teen girl doesn’t want to have a conversation with her mother and father.
This new law, supported by Ohio Right to Life and part of its 2011 legislative agenda, was sponsored by Rep. Ron Young and Rep. Lynn Slaby. The bill passed in the Senate in September with a 23 to 8 bi-partisan vote and received a concurrence vote from the House of Representatives in October.
“We thank Governor Kasich, Senate President Tom Niehaus, and Speaker Bill Batchelder who continue to advance life-saving policies,” said Mike Gonidakis, Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life. “H.B. 63 strengthens parents’ ability to care for their children and prevents lawyers and others from taking mom and dad’s place when their child needs them most.”
H.B. 63 increases the standards for judges approving a minor’s petition to have an abortion without first obtaining written consent from her parents, Gonidakis said.
“There is evidence across the state that judges are rubber-stamping these requests without first determining that minors understand the potential physical and emotional consequences of their decisions, among other provisions. Governor Kasich’s signature on this bill strengthens our current parental consent law and ensures that parents are involved in their child’s life decisions,” he explained.
In July, Kasich signed into law a bill to ban late-term abortions in Ohio — something Gonidakis applauded.
“2011 has been a banner year for significant and responsible pro-life legislation. Ohio is witnessing the blessings of having the most pro-life Governor and General Assembly in our state’s history working together to save lives,” said Gonidakis.
