House Bill 529 was introduced in April and would add the charge of “corrupting another with drugs” if someone supplies illegal narcotics to a pregnant woman — either if they know or suspects she may be pregnant. That person could then be charged with either a first-, second- or third-degree felony.
“Rep. Conditt and I spent a lot of time and effort to make this happen,” said Retherford. “We believe it will give law enforcement one additional measure in fighting our drug epidemic. The fight is not over and my office, along with the whole General Assembly, is fully committed to the continual battle against this devastating problem.”
Conditt said Ohio has the opportunity “to be a leader in the nation” to stand up for those unborn children who are “victimized with the abuse of destructive substances and drugs.” She said the penalties outlined in the legislation match those currently in place for selling drugs near, or in the vicinity of, a school.
“In a pro-life effort, this bill would abide by the notion that selling to a pregnant woman is also selling to an unborn child. Creating penalties that correlate with those selling near a school generates the message that we will not tolerate the corruption of a child’s health,” she said. “With this bill, a tougher message will be sent to those criminals who recklessly choose to harm both a pregnant mother and an unborn innocent human life.”
Jones, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Medicaid, Health and Human Services, has been a champion during this General Assembly session for reducing the state’s infant mortality rate, which is one of the worst rates in the country.
“Ohio can’t afford to delay on the issue of infant mortality,” said Jones. “We’re losing the race to nearly every other state in the nation, and the nation is losing the race to nearly every other developed country. This initiative is an important piece to helping empower our families to keep their infants safe and healthy.”
In Ohio, more than 1,000 babies die each year before their first birthday. The state ranks 46th out of all 50 states for infant mortality.
“Ohio families want what is best for their children, but what’s best isn’t always clear,” she said. “We need to establish clear guidelines and best practices and then find ways to communicate those practices to the public, especially young, first time parents.”
In addition to providing uniform safe sleep education, Senate Bill 276 requires hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to ensure a safe sleeping location is provided to parents and guardians who are not capable of obtaining one upon the infant’s discharge from the facility. Hospitals and birthing centers are encouraged to partner with the Ohio Department of Health’s Cribs for Kids program and other entities that currently assist in providing safe sleeping locations.
The Commission on Infant Mortality will inventory funding sources used to address Ohio’s infant mortality rate, account for existing efforts throughout the state aimed at doing so, and make recommendations to coordinate efforts across state departments.
“This commission will create the structure necessary to account for and coordinate the good work already happening throughout Ohio to combat infant mortality,” said Jones.
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