Ohio Senate Passes Bill Banning Abortions After Down Syndrome Diagnosis

The Ohio Senate has passed legislation that would make it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion if the fetus might have Down syndrome. The Dispatch reports the Senate on Wednesday passed the legislation by a 20-12 vote. It makes performing such abortions a fourth-degree felony and requires the state medical board to revoke a physician's license if convicted. The Ohio House approved an identical measure earlier this month. The Senate passed its version of the bill less than a day after it cleared a committee. Ohio Right to Life lauded the Senate for passing the legislation, which the group says was its top legislative priority this year. NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio says doctors and parents of children with Down syndrome testified in hearings against the bill.