A local council in Ohio voted Tuesday night to ban all abortions within city limits and declare itself a “sanctuary city for the unborn.”
Members of the Lebanon City Council voted unanimously to approve the measure, the first of its kind in the state.
The ordinance makes it illegal to provide an abortion, aid an abortion, provide money or transportation for the procedure or provide instructions for an abortion. Those found guilty of this misdemeanor could serve up to six months in jail and receive a $1,000 fine.
ADVERTISEMENT
Women seeking abortions will not be prosecuted, according to the measure.
The measure does not make exceptions for rape or incest, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. However, exemptions are allowed in cases of ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and to preserve the health of the unborn child.
Ohio city votes to ban abortion; legal challenge likely
May 26, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
LEBANON, Ohio (AP) A southwest Ohio city became the first in the state Tuesday to enact a measure outlawing abortion and declaring itself “a sanctuary city for the unborn,” setting itself up for a likely legal challenge by opponents who call the ban unconstitutional.
The vote by Lebanon City Council was unanimous after one member quit in protest. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that that member, Krista Wyatt, said she could no longer associate her name with the body “as a respectable, decent human being.”
No abortion clinics are located in Lebanon and none are planned. Mayor Amy Brewer said the ordinance sends a signal that the community would not welcome such a facility. Abortion remains legal in Ohio and the rest of the country following a 1973 Supreme Court decision that women have a constitutional right to seek an abortion.
05-26-2021
One Ohio town passed an ordinance Tuesday banning abortions and imposing a fine of $1,000 to anyone who violates the new law.
The Lebanon City Council unanimously passed the resolution to make the community of 20,000 a sanctuary city for the unborn, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. We are clearly saying in our community we do not think it is in our best interest to open a clinic or a hospital that does abortions, said Mayor Amy Brewer. We are elected to make decisions based on what s good for our community today. Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.