DeWine: Restrictions on contraception, same-sex marriage won't be part of Ohio abortion ban

Gov. Mike DeWine tours the grounds during the opening day of the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Gov. Mike DeWine tours the grounds during the opening day of the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
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Gov. Mike DeWine didn't say much about what he wanted to be included in a Republican effort to ban nearly all abortions in Ohio.

But he did say what shouldn't be part of the discussion: contraception and same-sex marriage.

"I'm not, we're not going to have any kind of change in contraception law," DeWine told reporters on the opening day of the Ohio State Fair. "We're not going to have any kind of change in regard to marriage for heaven's sake, it's just not going to happen. That's not what we should be talking about."

After the November elections, Ohio's GOP-controlled Legislature plans to pass a law that would ban doctors from performing nearly all abortions. Current law prevents physicians from performing the procedure after cardiac activity is detected, which is about six weeks into pregnancy.

One proposal, House Bill 704, would ban abortions after conception, which could restrict in vitro fertilization and certain contraception. That "personhood" proposal – and Justice Clarence Thomas' opinion in the abortion decision – have some OB-GYNs worried.

Senate Republicans are crafting another proposal, which has not yet been introduced. It will include an exception to save the mother's life but won't include exceptions for rape or incest survivors.  

DeWine said it would be "absurd" to prohibit contraception in Ohio. "No one in their right mind is going to have the state be involved in contraception decisions."

No one wants to roll back same-sex marriage either, DeWine said. "This is not going to change, what we have today in regard to that area."

But it's a U.S. Supreme Court decision, not Ohio law that protects LGBTQ marriages here. The Ohio Constitution still defines marriage as "a union between one man and one woman" thanks to a 2004 amendment, which passed with 61.7% of the vote.

What should be included in an abortion ban?

DeWine said little about what should be included in Republicans' abortion ban, saying: "I'm going to let the debate play out a little bit."

More: Ohio governor's race: How DeWine, Whaley responded to Roe v. Wade couldn't be more different

DeWine has signed every abortion restriction that has crossed his desk and is expected to sign the near-total ban later this year.

DeWine did appear to acknowledge that doctors and those who are pregnant need clarity – something lacking when Ohio's 2019 law banning doctors from performing most abortions took effect within hours of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

"One of the things we always want is laws that give guidance to people and give notice to people," DeWine said. "And so again, that's something that we have to look at."

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: DeWine: Contraception, same-sex marriage not part of abortion debate