Last Wednesday, Ohio representative, Teresa Fedor (D), spoke out against an anti-abortion bill by sharing her rape and subsequent abortion that occurred during her time in the military…and a man laughed at her. Yup, you read that right.
Ohio’s state senate were voting on the Heartbeat Bill aka House Bill 69, which basically means if you’re a woman in Ohio and you become pregnant, once the fetal heartbeat is discovered (about 6 weeks in), having an abortion is off the table. While it does allow exceptions such as if the mother’s life is in danger or if she’s at risk of a severe and irreversible condition, it still cuts down women’s freedom to choose WHEN to have an abortion.
Fedor, angry with the bill, stood up and told her story. “You don’t respect my reason, my rape, my abortion…,” she said to her constituents. When a man began to chuckle at her she spoke directly to him.
“I see people laughing and I don’t appreciate that. And it happens to be a man who is laughing. But this is serious business right now and I’m speaking for all the women in the state of Ohio who didn’t get the opportunity to be in front of that committee and make this statement,” she said.
Despite her choice to speak about her experience, the bill still managed to pass and is now going before the Senate, which, if passed, locks down on doctors giving abortions by giving them a $2,500 fine, a 5th degree felony and possibly even jail time.
Image via www.rawstory.com
