Ohio University Student Senate met Wednesday to discuss and oppose two bills currently in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Senate discussed a resolution opposing House Bill 480, a bill that if passed, would ban abortion across Ohio. It also orders criminal charges to be put on any physicians who provide an abortion.
Senate expressed concern that passing the bill would not stop abortions from happening, but would simply stop safe abortions from occurring. Senate passed the resolution and will send the document formally opposing the legislation to the Ohio House representatives.
Senate also discussed a resolution opposing House Bill 454, a bill that prohibits minors from receiving any kind of gender-affirming treatment, including hormones and surgery, regardless of parental consent. The bill also requires teachers and school administrators to share information about a child’s preferred gender identity with the child’s parents.
LGBTQA+ Affairs Commissioner Luvina Cooley said the bill is a blatant attack on transgender and gender non-conforming youth, and the language of the bill is invalidating and stigmatizing, considering it never uses the term transgender, and refers to only biological sex.
Senate also passed the resolution opposing that House Bill.
Senate also amended its rules and procedures, including a rule that allows the judicial panel to remove people who have committed immoral actions from candidacy into the body. That amendment came following word of sexual assault accusation against someone running for office. Senate passed the bill unanimously.
