2018 OH Governor's race: on Abortion

Mike DeWine: Supports "fetal heartbeat" law (abortion ban after 6 weeks)

Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have filed bills which would halt abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy. That's often before a woman even realizes she is pregnant and would amount to an unconstitutional ban on abortions in Kentucky, said the deputy director of the ACLU..

A court struck down such a bill in North Dakota. That leaves Iowa as the only state with a fetal heartbeat bill enacted into law and that remains suspended by a pending court challenge, said the ACLU spokesperson. Should Kentucky enact such a law, the ACLU is ready to challenge it.

Several states have expressed interest in or enacted similar "fetal heartbeat" laws, most recently in Ohio where the Republican-controlled legislature approved such a law last year, only to have it vetoed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Ohio's legislature taking office in a few days will likely pass a fetal heartbeat bill in 2019--and incoming Gov. Mike DeWine has said he will sign it.

Source: Louisville Courier-Journal on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race Jan 9, 2019

Mike DeWine: Supports heartbeat bill (no abortion after 6 weeks)

Q: Abortion: Mostly ban or mostly legal?

Richard Cordray (D): Legal. Women should have the right to make their own personal decisions.

Mike DeWine (R): Ban. Would have supported "heartbeat bill," banning abortion at 6 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Q: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health care?

Richard Cordray (D): Yes. Will work to restore funding.

Mike DeWine (R): No. Nothing requires Ohio to support abortion providers.

Source: CampusElect.org Issue Guide on 2018 Ohio Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Richard Cordray: Women's right to make their own personal decisions

Q: Abortion: Mostly ban or mostly legal?

Richard Cordray (D): Legal. Women should have the right to make their own personal decisions.

Mike DeWine (R): Ban. Would have supported "heartbeat bill," banning abortion at 6 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Q: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health care?

Richard Cordray (D): Yes. Will work to restore funding.

Mike DeWine (R): No. Nothing requires Ohio to support abortion providers.

Source: CampusElect.org Issue Guide on 2018 Ohio Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Betty Sutton: Constitutionally protected decisions about personal health

Richard Cordray said he would fight what he considers an erosion of abortion rights in Ohio. "Rich Cordray and [lieutenant-governor candidate] Betty Sutton have been strong and consistent supporters of reproductive choice throughout their careers in public service," Cordray's campaign said in a statement. "As Ohio's governor and lieutenant governor, they'll stop the relentless attacks on women's health by Statehouse Republicans and will work to restore funding for Planned Parenthood. Rich and Betty will fight to ensure that all women in Ohio will be allowed to make constitutionally protected decisions about their personal health and will have expanded access to critical health screenings, prenatal and postnatal care, as well as measures to prevent infant mortality." Source: Governing magazine on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race Mar 8, 2018

Dennis Kucinich: Change of heart: I support a woman's right to choose

Critics of Dennis Kucinich, a former Cleveland mayor and congressman, have been highlighting his change of heart on the issue. Prior to 2003, he had a record of voting against many abortion-rights measures.

"I support a woman's right to choose," Kucinich said this week asked about his change of heart. "I looked at it and decided to address it in a nonpolarizing way."

Source: Governing magazine on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race Mar 8, 2018

Joe Schiavoni: I trust women to make their own medical decisions

In a fundraising letter that calls him "a truly remarkable man of God," gubernatorial candidate Bill O'Neill is staking out his position as an anti-abortion candidate in the Democratic primary.

"I've always stood on the side of women, who I trust to make their own medical decisions," said state Sen. Joe Schiavoni. "I don't know why O'Neill is making this a position of his, but it's his decision. We'll see how it works out."

Source: Governing magazine on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race Mar 8, 2018

Richard Cordray: Support abortion rights; fight for Planned Parenthood

Jim Renacci: Opposes abortion and gay marriage

Renacci, a father of three, grew up in a blue collar family in western Pennsylvania and was the first in his family to graduate college. He began his career as an accountant before shifting to business management and ownership. He was a volunteer firefighter, city councilman and mayor in Wadsworth. He opposes abortion, capital punishment and gay marriage but supports Trump's proposals to build a wall on the border with Mexico, impose a temporary travel ban and repeal and replace ObamaCare. Source: Dayton Daily News on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race Feb 4, 2017

John Kasich: Cut $1.3M in funding for discredited Planned Parenthood

Kasich claimed that he would find it "absolutely unacceptable" for women to be unable to access reproductive health care: "Women's health is very important to us, and we're not cutting the funding," Kasich said when an audience member prompted him to speak about the services Planned Parenthood offers beyond abortion. "But that's an organization that has largely discredited itself, but that doesn't mean we can have you not being able to get the help that you need as a woman. I mean that would be absolutely unacceptable, and we're not going to do that in our state.

But when Kasich signed a bill in February cutting $1.3 million in funding to Planned Parenthood, he did not cut funds for abortion care; those services are not covered by state money. Instead, he slashed funds for the organization's sexually transmitted infection testing, and mother and newborn care, and anti-domestic violence programs.

Source: Rewire.com FactCheck on 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race Mar 30, 2016

The above quotations are from 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Abortion. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by John Kasich on Abortion. Click here for more quotes by Mike DeWine on Abortion.
*Candidates and political leaders on Abortion:*
*Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:* GA:Chambliss(R) IA:Harkin(D) MI:Levin(D) MT:Baucus(D) NE:Johanns(R) OK:Coburn(R) SD:Johnson(D) WV:Rockefeller(D) *Resigned from 113th House:* AL-1:Jo Bonner(R) FL-19:Trey Radel(R) LA-5:Rod Alexander(R) MA-5:Ed Markey(D) MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R) NC-12:Melvin Watt(D) SC-1:Tim Scott(R)	*Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:* AR-4:Tom Cotton(R) GA-1:Jack Kingston(R) GA-10:Paul Broun(R) GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R) HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D) IA-1:Bruce Braley(D) LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R) ME-2:Mike Michaud(D) MI-14:Gary Peters(D) MT-0:Steve Daines(R) OK-5:James Lankford(R) PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)	*Retired House as of Jan. 2015:* AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R) AR-2:Tim Griffin(R) CA-11:George Miller(D) CA-25:Howard McKeon(R) CA-33:Henry Waxman(D) CA-45:John Campbell(R) IA-3:Tom Latham(R) MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R) NC-6:Howard Coble(R) NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D) NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R) NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D) NY-21:Bill Owens(D) PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R) UT-4:Jim Matheson(D) VA-8:Jim Moran(D) VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Jan 13, 2019