Ohio Politicians Need To Stop Practicing Medicine Without A Licence

*For Immediate Release*

Ohio Politicians Need To Stop Practicing Medicine Without A Licence

Toledo, October 2, 2019 – It seems like everyday the Ohio legislature is introducing or passing yet another abortion restriction bill. The claim is it is saving babies or protecting the health of the mother, but it seems that is lie. The Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie demand that Ohio politicians stop practicing medicine without a licence as they unfairly and unjustly regulate women while ignoring actual medical science.

In April of 2019, the Ohio legislature, despite medical science, approved a law to ban abortion when a “heartbeat” is detected.

Ohio Rep. John Becker (R-65) introduced a bill that would prohibit PRIVATE insurance companies from offering coverage for abortion services including some birth control devices and drugs.

In an interview Becker said:

“When you get into the contraception and abortifacients, that’s clearly not my area of expertise but I suppose, if it were true that what we typically known as the pill would be classified as an abortifacient, then I would imagine the drug manufacturers would reformulate it so it’s no longer an abortifacient and is strictly a contraceptive,” Becker says.

and

“Part of that treatment would be removing that embryo from the fallopian tube and reinserting it in the uterus so that is defined as not an abortion under this bill,” Becker explains.(1)

Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering introduced a bill that would mandate that at least 24 hours before prescribing medication to terminate a pregnancy, doctors provide women with information stating that “it may be possible to reverse the intended effects of a mifepristone abortion if she changes her mind, but time is of the essence.”

“This legislation is intended to give another choice to women who are in desperate situations. We are not forcing anyone to take the abortion-pill reversal treatment — we simply want to give women more information on another option available to them,” Lehner said.(2)

US Rep. Bob Latta (R-5) introduced House Resolution 4399 which would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act “to prohibit the approval of new abortion drugs, to prohibit investigational use exemptions for abortion drugs, and to impose additional regulatory requirements with respect to previously approved drugs.”

In a press release Latta said, chemically induced abortions now account for a larger percentage of terminations and they are more dangerous then surgical abortions.(3)

Rep. Latta also recently posted, on social media, a photo of himself at a fundraising event for a Bowling Green pregnancy “resource” center.

There is another bill proposed in the Ohio legislature that would force public schools to teach anti-abortion propaganda. The bill specifically excludes ANYONE who actually performs abortions from contributing to the new curriculum.(4)

What do all these have in common?

The people who introduce these bills seem to be practicing medicine without a licence. Each of them have given statements or introduced bills that prove they don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to abortion and medical science.

Republicans in Columbus passed a “heartbeat” bill even though it has no basis in actual science. Doctors have said that there is no heart to detect a beat from at six weeks.(5)

Rep. Becker’s idea that ectopic or tubal pregnancies can be treated by “removing that embryo from the fallopian tube and reinserting it in the uterus so that is defined as not an abortion under this bill,” is utterly ridiculous and is not a treatment for those dangerous pregnancies according to people who are actually Doctors.

Doctors have explained that Sen. Lehner’s fever dream of reversing an abortion has no support in science or the real world.

Rep. Latta supports his proposed law on false information. 30% of terminations use medication the rest is still surgical, so it is not “larger” as Latta states. Also complications from abortion is still less than most regular medical procedures. In Ohio, in 2018, only 27 women reported complications out of over 20,000 terminations.(6)

Latta’s social media picture also calls into question his support of pregnancy resource centers. These centers walk a fine legal line by looking like a medical clinic without actually claiming to be one. Unlike a typical abortion clinic you will not get any actual medical advice at a PRC. They will refer you to a real medical facility while giving you all kinds of misleading information to trick you into carrying your pregnancy to full term.(7)

We have a serious problem in this country with ignoring science when public laws and policies are concerned. It’s the same route we’ve gone where people are refusing to vaccinate their children and now we have a resurgence in Measles cases.

Laws that regulate medical practices should be based on actual medical science research and if not, those proposed laws should be dead on arrival. The fact these science ignorant laws get a hearing and some are passed into law should trigger an investigation of lawmakers for practicing medicine without a licence.

Enough is enough.

About Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie

The mission of the Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie is to provide a supportive local community for humanists and other nontheists, while promoting an ethical, reasonable, and secular approach to life through education, community service, outreach, activism, and social events.

We envision a Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan where secular people are respected and integrated in broader society, live values of reason and compassion, and enjoy a friendly humanist community.

Media Contact

Douglas Berger – President
419-322-6422

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