The Maddow Blog - What really big government looks like in Ohio
Republicans in the Ohio State Senate say they’re ready to move the so-called “heartbeat bill,” which would make it illegal to end a pregnancy once a heartbeat is detectable. As the Plain Dealer puts it, the bill “outlaws abortions for women before they even know they are pregnant,” and would make Ohio the most anti-choice state in the country.
Ohio has seen a string of legislation recently designed to cut off women’s access to this constitutionally protected right. In June, Ohio joined the states (pdf) that restrict access for public employees. Ohio now bans abortion services in any public facility and most abortion coverage from any health plans for public employees. Tucked inside the biennial budget bill, the measure applies to all “non-therapeutic abortions” and was .