1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I write as an Ohioan deeply committed to the safety, dignity, and autonomy of pregnant people. While protecting anyone from violence is vital, the Ohio Prenatal Protection Act does far more harm than good. Existing assault and homicide statutes already ensure perpetrators face serious consequences when they harm a pregnant person. This new law, however, creates a separate offense based on a fetus’s status—implicitly granting fetal personhood and threatening reproductive liberties we hold dear. By elevating a fetus to the status of a separate victim, the bill opens the door to criminalizing individuals for pregnancy outcomes beyond anyone’s control. Miscarriages, stillbirths, or complications following medical care could be subjected to invasive investigations and prosecutions. Survivors of violence—already traumatized—could find themselves treated as suspects rather than cared for and supported. Moreover, this legislation threatens to undermine the doctor-patient relationship. Physicians may hesitate to provide evidence-based prenatal care for fear of legal repercussions, limiting access to critical appointments and screenings. The communities that will suffer most are those already facing systemic barriers—Black, Indigenous, and low-income Ohioans—who bear a disproportionate share of maternal mortality and are least able to navigate added layers of legal scrutiny. We can and must protect pregnant people from violence without weaponizing fetal personhood or criminalizing healthcare decisions. I urge you to oppose the Ohio Prenatal Protection Act and instead invest in comprehensive domestic violence prevention, mental health services, and maternal support programs that save lives without eroding fundamental rights. Thank you for your consideration of my concerns. Please vote NO on this bill and stand with Ohio families.