As the ongoing debate about abortion continues to divide Americans, there is a bill currently being debated in the Ohio House which will undoubtedly only cause further controversy. Ohio lawmakers are expected to vote on the issue this Wednesday, March 30. Please read the article below which was in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Wednesday, February 9. This article will provide you with some background before you comment on this proposed legislation.
'Heartbeat' Bill Background
What are you thoughts on this proposal? Is this unconstitutional as some have claimed? Please be respectful in commenting on others comments.
14 comments:
I personally think the bill is a great idea. I am against all forms of abortion, no matter the age at which the the fetus is. I feel that life is all the same whether it is at a day or eighty years. However, I feel that our society has learned to accept abortion so much more today than ever before. Abortion is not viewed as much as the crime of killing as it was just ten or twenty years ago. I would hope that this bill would pass through both houses, but I do not think it is very likely. People are much more liberal and feel that they have should have more powers and decisions in the government. Moreover, I dont think it is unconstitutional because aborting is taking a life, and the government has the responsibility to protect all humans. However, because of the majority being Republican, the likelihood is greater than before, but I don't think enough to pass it. Overall, I can see why people feel that they have a right to choose and it is their personal life, but the right to life is greater.
In all honesty, I hate debating about abortion because I do not have a set opinion about the topic; I understand and respect the arguments of both sides. However, I do not believe that it is the government's responsibility to regulate abortions. Like we have been studying through various Court cases, I think that all individuals, not just women, have a right to privacy that should not be infringed upon by the government. I do not believe that abortions should be praised or used as a method of birth conrol; but, I do believe that in certain cases, abortions are the most logical option (Whether opinions of abortions should be based on practicality or morality, I really do not know). I agree 110% that there should be regulations on abortions, such as the Partial Birth Bill in place now, because full-term abortions are ridiculous. While this 'Heartbeat" Bill is not a bad idea, it is only one step closer to banning abortions. I think it is safer and smarter to permit abortions, rather than to ban them altogether because women will get abortions whether or not they are legal. Keeping abortions legal raises the medical standards for the procedure. At this point. I do not believe that this bill is unconstitutional, but I think it is getting to the point of a constitutional question. In my opinion, let the original ruling of Roe v. Wade stand, with the addition of minimal restrictions.
I was so happy to read about this bill. As I read the first paragraph, I thought that this would work out perfectly because I knew that before a woman knows she is pregnant, the fetus could have a heartbeat. A few moments later, when I read that sentence in the article, I was sure that this was a good idea. As the article said, it is the first step to having a pro - life state. I don't know how well everyone else will take to this new idea. I love it but I know that just as many people will hate it. Abortion has become a normal thing in our lives as a society and that is not okay. Since the Republicans currently have every branch of the state government, this bill is likely to pass in Ohio. If more states try passing this bill, I think we would get so much closer to having it be dealt with nationally. In conclusion, I am all for this bill and hope it works.
I read the article and from what I learned, I believe that the bill being proposed is good in theory, but like the argument against the bill said, how is a woman supposed to know she is pregnant before the 6 week period? Yes, it is obviously possible to find about beforehand, but there needs to be proof from statistics to make the argument valid. I do believe though that the second there is a heartbeat in the baby, then that baby is considered a human being. Even though I am a conservative, I do believe that the woman has the decision on whether or not to terminate her pregnancy before it can't be done (trimester restrictions). I personally, would never get an abortion, BUT I believe it is the choice of the individual. The Heartbeat Bill would cause a lot of controversy, but it would be hard for anyone to prove that the fetus is not a baby when it has a heatbeat. How somebody can terminate a being with a heartbeat I'll never know. I just believe that the laws should be kept as they are. I hate talking about abortion because I think it's wrong, but I believe that's my own personal opinion and that doesn't mean it is everyone else's opinion obviously. Therefore, it's the individual's choice. Like I said, the bill is good in theory, but people will resort to finding a way around it if it becomes law, and that may do more harm than the intended good when the bill was proposed.
This bill is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. I can’t believe Ohio is even going down this road. Our state is already a joke and now it is just being silly. So I totally see both sides of the issue, really I do, however I am a firm believer in pro-choice. I don’t like the idea of the government being able to tell a woman what she can do with her body. If she wants an abortion then it is her choice and if she regrets her choice, she has to live with it, tough. It’s her choice. Even if this law passes woman will still find ways to get abortions so I think it’s a waste of time to even try to outlaw it completely. Now this heartbeat bill seems like a way to regulate abortion except that some women don’t find out they are pregnant till after the heartbeat. So the bill will trap women into having babies they don’t want. Also, who is to say that once there is a heartbeat it’s a baby? (Insert vent moment here. I have reached my point with this whole political party business. This article says it’s the republicans who are pushing for this so I am going to pick at them for the moment. I can’t stand how republicans are so pro-life when it comes to babies and then completely in favor of the death penalty. I just don’t understand how you can have such different values on supposed “life”. It’s the same for the democrats. It just frustrates me to the extreme.) So over all I am against the bill and I think rules on abortion should stay the way they are now.
As a person who is pro-life, I do not think abortion should ever be an option. Where i stand specifically on this topic is the moment a baby has a heartbeat, it is a living human being. Therefore, I believe the idea behind this bill is a good one. However, like the article said, Roe v. Wade will be too strong of an argument if this law does pass and is eventually taken to court by someone. I agree with what grace said that it may be possible that a woman might not know she is pregnant before it is too late to get an abortion. The new law that was just introduced which bans the procedure at 20 weeks, it more logical to me. It adds more restictions for teens. I think that is fair only because its not right to be able to get an abortion at any age but you can't for example even get your ears pierced without parent consent. Like I said, I disagree with abortion, but establishing the law at 20 weeks would make more legal sense.
I think that this is a great piece of legislation coming from a pro-life stance but I don’t think that it will have a substantial effect. I believe that unborn babies should have the same rights as any living human, even before their heart starts beating. I completely am for what the bill says and think it’s a great thing in becoming a pro-life state and changing the society’s views about abortion only if courts uphold the bill. Unfortunately, I don’t think that anything will be able to overturn Roe v. Wade. I think that the regulations and restrictions in the Heartbeat Bill are constitutional and perfectly fine. I agree with what Celine said about the right to life being more important than the right to choose whether or not women can have abortions. I do think this bill will be passed and I hope that it will reduce the amount of abortions significantly.
While abortion is a topic many people feel very strongly about, I am still deciding how I feel about it. I can’t help but see both sides of the argument, and while I know I would never have an abortion, I can’t decide if I believe that government should be able to make that decision for others. This proposed law, however, is something that, as a person, I would agree with. I can’t say that I think it will get passed or that it is constitutional, but I would like abortions to be harder to obtain, especially later in the pregnancy once there is a detectable heartbeat. However, I do agree that it will not get passed because of the precedent set in Roe v. Wade. While I do believe America needs to begin to value life more, perhaps more gradual changes to Roe v. Wade can be made first because such an extreme shift will not go over well with the people. I agree with what Morgan said about women getting abortions one way or another, and I think it’s important that rather than completely eliminate abortions, we continue to make them harder to obtain. Once this happens, then women won’t take them for granted and the numbers can go down without it becoming completely illegal. Had Roe v. Wade not been a precedent, then I would definitely find this to be constitutional, but with Roe v. Wade, I think this bill will be a lot harder to pass, if not impossible.
I believe that this bill is a great idea. I think abortion is wrong no matter the circumstances. Abortions have become commonplace in American society, and to me, that is wrong. All people have the right to life; it doesn't matter if a person is in the womb or on their deathbed, they deserve the chance to live life to the fullest. Therefore, this bill is constitutional because the government should be able to protect the fundamental right to life. I agree with Celine and Bre in that the right to life is greater than the right of choice. I do, however, see how much opposition this bill will receive. Not only is setting the heartbeat a great start for limiting abortions, but the greater restrictions put in place are also a very good idea. This way, the seriousness of this action is emphasized. In theory, the bill should be able to pass due to the Republican control, but the argument against this proposal will be a tremendous force. I would love the see this enacted because I am against abortion and believe all people deserve the chance to live, but because we live in such a liberal society that doesn't think twice about this issue as much as we did in the past, this bill will have an unfortunately slim chance of passing because of the strong and numerous arguments, such as Roe v. Wade and the right to privacy, against it.
honestly, i like the idea of this bill, but i know it's not likely to go far. Abortion is an extremely heavy subject and I dont believe many will agree on the six week terms. Don't get me wrong, this is a dream come true for me! It would be a real miracle if these bills actually made it, but it is not at all probable. For starters, giving a woman six weeks to decide whether or not she wants to terminate her baby just isn't fair. Most women don't even realize they're pregnant untill three weeks into it, which gives them three weeks to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. I completely agree that the baby has a heartbeat at six weeks so therefore is in fct a human and has a right to life, but way too mant pro-choice people will strongly oppose these bills. in the end they will most likely become very strong 'pro-life movements' instead of actually passing as legislation.
All in all, I personally do not see it as unconstitutional. An unborn child is a life and therefore abortion is a crime. At six weeks they are able to detect a heartbeak, so six weeks is fair to both the mother and the child. Unfortunately, no matter how constitutional it may be in my eyes; this issue has two sides and those who are pro-choice won't agree with my personal beliefs, just as i dont agree with theirs.
I believe that the "Heartbeat Bill" is a great idea, personally. It just seems logical that once you can feel a fetus's heartbeat, you shouldn't be allowed to abort it. As much as I hope that this bill passes, I can't say for sure whether it will or not. Roe v. Wade doesn't restrict any limits put on abortions. It's completely constitutional because once the fetus has a heartbeat, it is a life. The governments job is to protect every citizen of the country- this should not exclude the unborn. With republicans in power, there is a much greater chance now for the bill to get votes than there were before. However, it's such a controversial issue that I can see a anything happening. I have high hopes for this bill and I think, with the republicans in power, it has a higher chance.
I agree with Celine. I think that abortion at all levels should be outlawed. I believe abortion was unconstitutional in the first place, so a bill to restrict it is completely constitutional. Like Justice Scalia said in the video we watched, abortion is not addressed enough in the Constitution for the Supreme Court to have power to declare it legal. If American citizens want abortion to be legal then they should gather signatures and go through the process of amending the Constitution. We have the power to affect change, and the American government is founded on the idea that all people should be able to change governmental policy- it should not be up to a single group of elite individuals. This bill is completely reasonable and very well-formed. I agree with it completely.
I'm in support of the bill completely. Americans have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", so legislation furthering those rights for all Americans, including unborn Americans, is most definitely constitutional. I do not think that the precedent set by Roe v. Wade is constitutional because it does not protect life, which is clearly an objective of the Framers. This is not a question of politics, it is a question of ethics. It is questioning whether or not an unborn child is considered a life. We would find it completely unacceptable to kill elderly people who cannot function on their own and therefore burdening their caretakers. Yet, these people have live a full life to an old age. However, somehow our government has made killing unborn people who have potential to live a full life and do so much good in our world. If these women did not want to get pregnant, they should not have had sex. Yes, people will continue to have abortions whether or not it is legal. However, that does not make it right. Abortion is murder and it is more logical for the government to take action to put an end to the practice in order to break the trend. Our world is constantly changing and things that were not acceptable fifty years ago are viewed as normal now. But killing innocent children is unacceptable no matter what generation. Some morals are timeless, and this procedure should ALWAYS be considered wrong.
I am against the passing of this bill simply because it makes it harder for girls to receive an abortion. I am strongly pro-choice and feel that if a women were to conceive and become pregnant she should have the right to choose whether or not to go through with the pregnancy or not. Roe v. Wade established that abortion was legal and people need to accept that.By Ohio passing this bill and creating a more difficult process to getting an abortion is violating the women's right to choose. If I or any of my friends were put in that situation I would want this difficult decision to be as obtainable as possible so it can be done quickly and be over with. And I know that sounds horrible and so unchristian and unmoral to say but it is simply my views on abortion. Being pregnant is scary enough, adding this stress of the regulations and whether or not you pass them just makes it worse.
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