Make No Mistake: Mike DeWine is Coming for Your Reproductive Rights
In the wake of the disastrous decision by the Supreme Court to strip away reproductive rights from millions of women across the country, Ohio women are about to face more attacks on all sides from Mike DeWine. DeWine’s extreme record on abortion shows that he will embrace even the most radical of measures, including voicing support for legislation that wouldn’t make exceptions for rape or incest. Just last week DeWine told anti-abortion groups he would “go as far as we can” to attack reproductive rights in Ohio.
DeWine’s extreme record shows that he’s ready to put drastic, punitive laws into place that will criminalize women while also making Ohio one of the most radical states in the country in restricting reproductive rights. These restrictive bills DeWine has indicated he will sign will also keep businesses out of Ohio and hold our economy back.
“Mike DeWine has a long record of attacking women and working to restrict their reproductive rights. Now, the Supreme Court just handed DeWine a blank check to sign all of the radical legislation into law that he wants. This is bad news for Ohio, and we’ll continue to fight like hell for a woman’s right to choose,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
DeWine has one of the worst records in the country when it comes to reproductive healthcare:
- DeWine has said he is ready to sign radical legislation into law after the Supreme Court ruled, including trigger ban legislation which would make no exception for rape or incest. He would also work to instate a previously signed six-week abortion ban.
- DeWine fought to defund Planned Parenthood and pushed for the closure of clinics around the state.
- DeWine appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling that kept Toledo’s last abortion clinic, Capital Care Network, open.
- In July 2015, DeWine launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood of Ohio to ensure they were complying with state law banning the sale of aborted fetuses, though DeWine’s office had heard no accusations of wrongdoing.
- DeWine voted against providing $10 million for education about emergency contraceptives; for making the morning-after pill available to survivors of sexual assault.
- DeWine voted against a Senate resolution expressing support for Roe v. Wade and saying that the decision should not be overturned.
- DeWine voted to prohibit military women and female military dependents from obtaining privately-funded abortions on overseas military bases.
- DeWine wrote a brief in the Hobby Lobby case that the owners of Hobby Lobby should not have to forfeit religious beliefs to provide birth control for employees.
- DeWine fought to strip the legal rights of abortion clinics to defend themselves.
- DeWine failed to condemn Rep. Jean Schmidt’s comments that pregnancy from rape is an “opportunity.”
- DeWine told an anti-choice group that he would “go as far as we can” to attack reproductive rights in Ohio following the decision to overturn Roe.