Bill would criminalize Down syndrome abortions

A bill passed Wednesday by the Ohio House would make such abortions illegal and charge doctors who performed them with a fourth-degree felony. If convicted, they could face up to 18 months in prison and be fined $5,000. According to proponents of the bill, choosing to end a pregnancy based on a Down syndrome diagnosis is a moral evil tantamount to eugenics. According to opponents such as Planned Parenthood of Ohio, legislation like this uses a moral crusade as a smokescreen to limit women's access to health care.