We have seen the signs on campus and the trucks driving up and down College Road. Abortion seems to be everywhere. Well, Ohio House of Representatives member John Adams is doing what he can to help curb the number of abortions across the state.
Adams introduced HB 287 last week. If passed, the bill would require that women seeking an abortion provide written consent from the father of the child.
If the mother is having trouble figuring out who the father is, then no abortion. Victims of rape or incest should bring a police report. But do not lie about who the father is because it could cost $2,500 and a year in jail.
On the heels of numerous attempts to completely dissolve abortions, members of Ohio's House have realized that a cutback is slightly more realistic than a complete stoppage.
Just days before, legislator Tom Brinkman threw HS 284 into the fire again, asking Ohio to ban all abortions. Although Adams co-sponsored Brinkman's shot at glory, neither man is likely to have his plan come to fruition thanks to precedents set by similar bills that have failed.
Banning all abortions in a state that took a swift Democratic turn last November seems like an unachievable dream. Trying to make Adams' bill a reality would require the U.S. Supreme Court overruling previous decisions stating that requiring a woman to have the father's permission is unconstitutional.
With the recent changes in the court's roster, a change is not entirely out of the question, although it would come with scrutiny the likes of which few members have ever seen.
Although this new bill is being used mainly to help curtail abortions, it raises important questions on the subject. If a man's role in conception is important enough to require him to help support the child economically after birth, why does he have no say in the abortion process?
The problem is that no gray area exists within the topic. An abortion is a situation with extremely definite results. Unfortunately for males, the woman usually gets the power to decide.
These bills might not make it to vote in the Ohio House of Representatives, but they are stirring the waters.
The Lantern believes that requiring paternal consent for abortions is an unrealistic act. In the end, it is a woman's right to do as she pleases with her body. However, those morally responsible enough to be sexually active have an obligation to inform the paternal influence regardless of their decision to have an abortion or not. Those who choose to hide their act from the other party or fail to inform them are acting irresponsibly.
After all, it takes two to conceive.
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