OHIO (KXAN) — On Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law the state’s Senate Bill 157, also known as the “Born-Alive Infant Protection Act” — requiring doctors to save the lives of babies who are born alive after attempted abortions.
Doctors face felony charges of “abortion manslaughter” if they don’t comply, The Hill reports. Ohio SB 157 also allows for women to sue doctors for a baby’s “wrongful death” if a doctor doesn’t act to save the baby’s life.
Doctors could also face loss of their medical licenses.
“Gov. DeWine and Ohio Republican legislators have been courageous advocates for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn,” Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Paduchik said in a statement.
SB 157 also bans clinics who provide abortions from working with instructors at university/college-affiliated medical schools, state hospitals and other public institutions.
The legislation comes amid a nationwide crusade against abortion access by some lawmakers. The majority of bills are authored or backed by Republican lawmakers.
Back in September, Texas Senate Bill 8 went into law and became the most restrictive abortion legislation in the U.S. It bans abortions when cardiac activity is present in a fetus. That can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and before many people even realize they’re pregnant.
A bill similar to Ohio’s “Born-Alive” Act was also passed by Kentucky in January.
In a few months, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on Dobbs v. Jackson — which could effectively end rights granted by the landmark Roe v. Wade. Petitioner Dobbs, a Mississippi State Health Officer, argues abortion access is not a constitutional right, while defendant Jackson Women’s Health Organization says abortions are covered under “liberty” in the Fourteenth Amendment.
Should SCOTUS move to overturn Roe, it’s estimated over 65 million Americans would lose access to abortions in their home states.