Ohio’s Most Conservative Legislator Is Not Smart About Biology

Ohio Rep. John Becker (R-65)

Rep. John Becker (R-65) claims to be Ohio’s most conservative legislator. He also claims to be ‘Pro-Life,’ Pro-Gun, and ‘Limited Government’, yet a recent anti-abortion bill he introduced shows Becker to not only not be pro-life or for limited government but also shows he isn’t very bright about basic biology. He’s made Ohio government even more of a laughing stock in the country and it passed a so-called ‘heartbeat’ bill.

House Bill 182 was introduced in April my Rep. Becker. The title of the bill is “Prohibit offering insurance for abortion services” and if passed it would prohibit private insurance companies from offering coverage for abortion services including some birth control devices and drugs.

So much for “limited government”. And what about the usual GOP fetish for the free market. No, when it comes to controlling women, the Republicans see no law they won’t try to pass.

Rep. Becker, in his introduction letter to the House Insurance committee wrote:

Currently, Ohioans who participate in health plans have no assurance in Ohio law that their insurance premiums are financially separate from insurance coverage of abortion services. This bill will save lives by prohibiting insurance companies from covering abortion services. This bill does not apply to private-sector self-insured companies, nor does it prohibit any entity from directly paying for their employees’ abortion services.

There is no debate regarding the humanness of an embryo. Each person’s DNA establishes the scientific evidence for this assertion. The question regarding the abortion debate has to do with personhood. That is, at what point during the growth and maturation process should a human being achieve personhood with full human rights?

Generally speaking, there are only three legitimate reasons to take a human life:

• War.
• Capital punishment after due process of law.
• Self-defense.

An example of self-defense, related to this bill, would be the treatment of an ectopic pregnancy. This is also known as a tubal pregnancy. If not treated, the mother and her child will both die. This is an example of a life of the mother exception.

As demonstrated by the enactment of the Heartbeat Law, Ohio’s public policy is that we respect innocent human life.

Please join me in protecting the conscience rights of Ohio’s insurance policyholders by removing abortion services from insurance coverage in our state.

Representative Becker’s Letter to the House Insurance Committee

As Becker states, the bill would prohibit insurance companies from covering abortion services and it would prohibit coverage of:

…drugs or devices used to prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.

That would be drugs like Plan B and devices like the popular IUD.

Rep. Becker was interviewed about the attack on contraceptives and he 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.

Ohio Legislature Considering An Abortion Bill That Is More Restrictive Than The “Heartbeat Bill”

Not his area of expertise is the understatement of the century.

Religious conservatives want it both ways – no abortion and no birth control – and that just isn’t based on what happens in the real world.

Becker has no idea how contraception works or even what an ectopic pregnancy is and how dangerous it can be to a woman.

And Becker says the bill also speaks to coverage of ectopic or tubal pregnancies where the fertilized egg attaches outside of the womb.

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.

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.

House Bill 182 is a religious zealot’s dream and is a shameful exercise of Rep. Becker’s legislative power.

It’s like religious zealots in the Ohio House passed the unscientific anti-abortion “heartbeat” bill and Rep. Becker said “Hold my beer…”

HB 182 needs to be shredded, burned, and buried to protect the lives of women and what’s left of the stained reputation of Ohio government.

How about spending tax payer dollars on bills based in actual science or rationally based policy decisions and not what one hears from their church or ministers.

And what about this religious conservative fetish claiming indirectly supporting activities they don’t like is against their religious beliefs? What Bullshit!

If I have to pay Rep. Becker’s salary then people who pay insurance premiums can’t tell other people how to live their lives.

If you don’t want your insurance company to cover “abortion services” (whatever you think that means), then find a company who doesn’t cover it and use them. Don’t force the rest of us to abide by your religious beliefs.

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