(WSVN) - Women who get abortions and professionals who perform them could face the death penalty under a bill being considered by the Ohio House of Representatives.
According to CNN, House Bill 565 would redefine the state’s definition of “person” to include “any unborn human,” leaving the door open for women who get abortions and doctors who perform them to be charged with murder and face the death penalty.
In its current form, the bill makes no mention of exceptions for life-threatening pregnancies or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
The bill is sponsored by Republican Reps. Ron Hood and A. Nino Vitale, with a group of 16 Republican co-sponsors also backing the bill.
“I believe life begins at conception so the goal of this bill is to, first of all, continue to get the word out that life does begin at conception and move the debate in that direction and to protect unborn Ohioans from being aborted,” Hood said when the bill was introduced.
The bill was originally introduced in March. However, it recently came back into public attention.
This also comes after the state’s House passed a bill that would ban all abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. This can occur as early as six weeks, possibly even before a woman knows she is pregnant.
Gov. John Kasich has vowed to veto the heartbeat bill if it reaches his desk.
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