In a Fox 45 interview Monday, Coudron and Gonidakis said the bill, if approved by Ohio lawmakers, would be ruled unconstitutional in federal court.
The measure now before the House Health Committee would outlaw abortion once a beating heart can be detected, making Ohio’s the most restrictive abortion law in the nation. Pregnancies as little as six weeks along could be affected.
Dayton Right to Life board members Seth Morgan said abortion opponents should stand up.
“This is call for unity in the movement. The Heartbeat Bill is a good bill,” he said. “It is a bill we need to see passed.”
Dayton Right to Life board members Rob Scott and Tim O’Bryant also attended the press conference. Their 18-member board has not taken a position on the bill, but will discuss it on March 28.
Coudron declined to comment. Gonidakis was unavailable for comment.
Rachel Schlater, Ohio Right to Life’s communications manager, said attention should be given to proposed laws that have a chance of being upheld such as a ban on late term abortion working its way through the legislature.
Becki Brenner, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, said the bill would strip away a woman’s legal right to have an abortion before a fetus is considered viable, at about 22 to 24 weeks.
She called the bill a distraction from the state’s economic woes.
“Your taxpayer money is going to go to fight this in the court and the court is going to find this unconstitutional,” Brenner said. “As far as I can see Ohio doesn’t have a lot of extra money. I don’t see one job created in this bill. I don’t see one small businesses helped with this bill.”
Janet Folger Porter, executive director of Faith2Action and the Heartbeat bill’s author, said the bill introduced by state Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, R-Napoleon, will prove historic in the fight to outlaw abortions.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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