ADVERTISEMENT

    Ohioans With Fertility Issues Concerned about New Abortion Laws

    BY: SUSAN TEBBEN

    With a new General Assembly comes new legislative measures, and for those watching the battle over reproductive rights, that raises concerns.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Lancaster resident Melissa Hintz and her husband have strongly considered moving on from the state over fears that abortion bans or regulations could impact her family.

    Moving on could mean finding a way to transfer embryos she and her husband have as part of their in-vitro fertilization journey to another state if regulations in Ohio start to affect them.

    It took Hintz five years to successfully give birth to a baby boy, and those years of treatments for her infertility showed her how challenging and emotional the process can be.

    “The whole process of being infertile, of going through infertility treatments; it takes over your life, it just feels exhausting,” Hintz told the OCJ.

    Since her first miscarriage in 2018, Hintz has built behind her a support group, which she says is important so that no one going through fertility issues feels like they’re doing it alone.

    “It’s hard to talk about, especially if you’re someone who hasn’t shared your story before,” Hintz said.

    But scientific data shows pregnancy and fertility issues occur more commonly than one may expect.

    The CDC states that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. with no prior births are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. Among those that have had prior births, about 6% aged 15 to 49 can’t get pregnant after one year, the CDC found.

    The American Society for Reproductive Medicine found that infertility occurs in 10% to 15% of couples, making it “one of the most common diseases for people between the ages of 20 and 45.”

    Because of its impact on fertility treatments, the ASRM released a statement at the beginning of the year, and the beginning of legislative business across the country, opposing “any legislation seeking to impede the ability of healthcare providers to take care of their patients reproductive medical needs.”

    “Given the clinical work of most of our members, our more visible efforts will likely focus on fertility care,” the statement read. “But make no mistake, ASRM will continue its work to protect access to all forms of reproductive care, including abortion, contraception and gender-affirming treatments.”

    It’s fears of legislation that could intentionally or unintentionally impact the work of those actively trying to help Ohioans achieve the pregnancies they desire that pushed Hintz to become a peer support group leader with Resolve: The National Infertility Association.

    Having seen Ohio Republicans’ attempts to regulate abortion and reproductive rights, such as a “personhood” bill that attempted to define life at conception, Hintz said going forward, she and others plan to do what they can to push back on potential legislation.

    “We need legislators to understand the full ramifications of the legislation they’re introducing,” Hintz said. “You have to know everything that it affects, and know what happens to your constituents if that bill passes.”

    Whether state legislators are intentionally attempting to hinder fertility treatments, or whether they just don’t understand how defining life at conception could impact fertilized embryos like the ones Hintz has stored away (at great expense), she said the language is making IVF participants and advocates “take note.”

    “I’m going to pay attention, I’m going to fight,” Hintz said.

    That includes any moves to take away medical options like abortion, which can be used during fertility treatments, in cases of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage (medically called a “spontaneous abortion”).

    “These are pregnancies that are so wanted and so desired, and to have them end for whatever reason is devastating,” Hintz said. “But what if I need this part of health care, and I can’t access it in our state?”

    The battle will continue even without legislation to ban procedures that might be used during fertility treatments, with costly procedures and tests also a part of the treatments, and insurance companies inconsistent in their coverage of the treatment.

    For Hintz, the process is already personal, but as a woman in her 13th week of pregnancy, it becomes more personal every day.

    “I hope that we’ll be heard,” Hintz said. “There’s a lot of us and once we combine our stories, I hope (legislators) will see how many people they could be affecting. You may think that you’re helping, but you may be harming us.”

    This article was republished with permission from Ohio Capital Journal. For more in Ohio political news, visit www.ohiocapitaljournal.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Ohio Colleges Impacted by Supreme Court’s Anti-Diversity Ruling

    At least seven Ohio public universities are reviewing scholarships in the wake of comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made about race-based scholarships after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions. 

    Fracking! Coming Soon to a State Park Near You

    The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission picked the “highest and best” bidders to lease parts of a state park and two wildlife areas for fracking Monday.

    Should Ohio Raise the Cigarette Tax?

    Ohio has the fourth-highest rate of cigarette smoking in the United States, bringing with it all the expenses associated with the sickness and disability caused by smoking. But how to most effectively bring that rate down is a matter of some debate, according to a survey of a panel of Ohio economists that was released last week.

    There’s a Lot Going on in the New Ohio Education Bill

    The Ohio Senate passed a bill requiring Ohio universities and community colleges to be more transparent with costs but not before tacking on more than $1.4 billion in state spending proposals.

    Report: Ohio Prosecuted Over 200 HIV-Related Crimes Last Decade

    A new report from two Ohio organizations shows more than 200 cases of “HIV-related prosecutions” in Ohio.
    Ohio Capital Journal
    Ohio Capital Journalhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com
    The Ohio Capital Journal is a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight and principled commentary.
    ADVERTISEMENT