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| photo credit: Paul's World Tour / Flickr |
The city council voted 6-0 in favor to pass an ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring abortion pills to be contraband. The one council member who opposed the ordinance retired just hours before the vote.
The pro-life ordinance took effect immediately, and it reads, “It shall be unlawful for any person to procure or perform an abortion of any type and at any stage of pregnancy in the city of Lebanon, Ohio” and “It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly aid or abet an abortion that occurs in the city of Lebanon, Ohio.”
The ordinance defines abortion as “the act of using or prescribing an instrument, a drug, a medicine, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to cause the death of an unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant.” It includes exceptions for procedures attempted with the intent of saving the child or mother's life.
Those who violate the ordinance can be found guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor. This can lead to six months in jail or $1,000 in fines. The language of the ordinance states that “Under no circumstance may the mother of the unborn child that has been aborted, or the pregnant woman who seeks to abort her unborn child, be subject to prosecution or penalty under this section.”
Over the past several months, more and more cities have passed "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances. Lebanon, Ohio is now the 29th city in the nation to pass an enforceable ordinance banning abortion.
