Bill Text: OH HB552 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: To prohibit a physician from performing an abortion on a pregnant woman by decapitation of a fetus.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-16 - To Health & Aging [HB552 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2011-HB552-Introduced.html
As Introduced

129th General Assembly
Regular Session
2011-2012
H. B. No. 552


Representative Martin 



A BILL
To amend section 2305.11 and to enact section 2919.15 1
of the Revised Code to prohibit a physician from 2
performing an abortion on a pregnant woman by 3
decapitation of a fetus.4


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1.  That section 2305.11 be amended and section 5
2919.15 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:6

       Sec. 2305.11.  (A) An action for libel, slander, malicious 7
prosecution, or false imprisonment, an action for malpractice 8
other than an action upon a medical, dental, optometric, or 9
chiropractic claim, or an action upon a statute for a penalty or 10
forfeiture shall be commenced within one year after the cause of 11
action accrued, provided that an action by an employee for the 12
payment of unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime compensation, or 13
liquidated damages by reason of the nonpayment of minimum wages or 14
overtime compensation shall be commenced within two years after 15
the cause of action accrued.16

       (B) A civil action for unlawful abortion pursuant to section 17
2919.12 of the Revised Code, a civil action authorized by division 18
(H) of section 2317.56 of the Revised Code, a civil action 19
pursuant to division (B)(1) or (2) of section 2307.512307.53 of 20
the Revised Code for performing a dilation and extractionpartial 21
birth procedure or attempting to perform a dilation and extraction 22
procedure in violation of section 2919.152919.151 of the Revised 23
Code, and a civil action pursuant to division (B) of section 24
2307.52 of the Revised Code for terminating or attempting to 25
terminate a human pregnancy after viability in violation of 26
division (A) of section 2919.17 of the Revised Code shall be 27
commenced within one year after the performance or inducement of 28
the abortion, within one year after the attempt to perform or 29
induce the abortion in violation of division (A) of section 30
2919.17 of the Revised Code, or within one year after the 31
performance of the dilation and extractionpartial birth32
procedure, or, in the case of a civil action pursuant to division 33
(B)(2) of section 2307.51 of the Revised Code, within one year 34
after the attempt to perform the dilation and extraction 35
procedure.36

       (C) As used in this section, "medical claim," "dental claim," 37
"optometric claim," and "chiropractic claim" have the same 38
meanings as in section 2305.113 of the Revised Code.39

       Sec. 2919.15.  (A) No physician shall knowingly perform or 40
induce an abortion on a pregnant woman by means of the 41
decapitation of a fetus that results in the death of the fetus.42

       (B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of abortion by 43
decapitation. Except as otherwise provided in this division, 44
abortion by decapitation is a felony of the fifth degree. If a 45
violation of this section results in a splintered or fragmented 46
skull of the fetus that causes a perforation, laceration, or other 47
serious physical harm to the pregnant woman while the fetus is in 48
the body of the pregnant woman or while the fetus is being removed 49
from the vagina of the pregnant woman, abortion by decapitation is 50
a felony of the fourth degree.51

       (C)(1) This section does not prohibit the suction curettage 52
procedure of abortion, the suction aspiration procedure of 53
abortion, the dilation and evacuation procedure of abortion, or 54
completing delivery of the fetus and severing the umbilical cord 55
of the fetus who has been completely delivered.56

       (2) This section does not prohibit the use of any procedure 57
by a physician that, in the physician's reasonable medical 58
judgment, is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, 59
so long as the physician takes every medically reasonable step, 60
consistent with that procedure, to preserve the life and health of 61
the fetus. A procedure is not considered necessary to prevent the 62
death of the pregnant woman if completing the delivery of the 63
fetus would prevent the death of the pregnant woman.64

       (D) As used in this section:65

       (1) "Decapitation of a fetus" means using any instrument or 66
procedure to separate the skull from the spine of a fetus or to 67
collapse the skull of a fetus.68

       (2) "Physician" has the same meaning as in section 2305.111 69
of the Revised Code.70

       Section 2.  That existing section 2305.11 of the Revised Code 71
is hereby repealed.72

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