Ohio's 20-week abortion ban takes effect: Ohio Politics Roundup - cleveland.com

A new Ohio law takes effect banning abortions performed more than 20 weeks after fertilization. Jim Jordan vows that conservatives will stage a floor fight to revamp the American Health Care Act. And the Ohioan nominated for U.S. trade representative wins praise from both Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown. Today's Ohio Politics Roundup is brought to you by Jeremy Pelzer. 

Tougher abortion limits take effect: The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which prohibits abortions performed more than 20 weeks after fertilization, took effect Tuesday in Ohio with no signs of a lawsuit, reports cleveland.com's Jackie Borchardt. Physicians who violate the law could face up to 18 months in prison, as well as lawsuits from women on whom the illegal abortion was performed or the fathers of the fetuses.

"Fifteen other states have passed similar laws; two were struck down by courts," Borchardt notes, adding, "Of the nearly 21,000 abortions performed in Ohio in 2015, 145 occurred after 21 weeks, state records show."  

The new law is part of a strategy by Ohio Right to Life, the state's largest anti-abortion lobby, to chip away at abortion rights while withstanding court challenges, with the ultimate goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

Trumpcare by the numbers: Cleveland.com's Rich Exner has some nifty graphs and maps to illustrate what the American Health Care Act, also dubbed  Trumpcare, would mean if it replaces the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. According to newly released estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, Trumpcare would reduce the deficit by $337 billion during the next 10 years, but it would also mean that 24 million fewer Americans would have health insurance and 14 million fewer Americans would have Medicaid coverage by 2026.

Floor fight looming? U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Urbana continued to vocally criticize the House Republicans' health-care plan Tuesday, pledging to help launch a floor fight to dramatically revise the proposal, writes the Columbus Dispatch's Jack Torry. Speaking on "Fox and Friends," Jordan said he and other conservatives would offer a series of floor amendments to move the health-care plan in a more market-oriented direction. Torry writes that if they're successful, "it could cripple efforts to win the backing of Senate moderates."

The Ohio Republican Party, meanwhile... Voiced support of the House GOP's plan. In a statement, state party chair Jane Timken called the measure "a great first step" - of a 3-step plan - toward repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Making the case for Medicaid expansion: Wooster resident Paula Chenevy, who was featured in a national TV campaign opposing the repeal of Obamacare, pressed her case to save Medicaid expansion at a Capitol Hill press conference, according to cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton. Chenevy described how expanded Medicaid paid for her breast cancer treatments and said without Medicaid, she would get inadequate care, rack up debts, and might not even be alive.

Trade agreement: Ashtabula native Robert Lightizer, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. trade representative, has won support from just about every member of the Senate Finance Committee - including Ohio's two U.S. senators, Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown, Eaton reports. Brown called Lightizer, an attorney who promises an "America first" trade policy, "eminently qualified for the job," while Portman praised him as "creative," "seasoned" and "knowledgeable."

Eaton has more on the policies Lightizer pledges to implement if he's confirmed by the Senate, including updating the North American Free Trade Agreement, pushing back on China's steel-making over-capacity, and "robust protection" for U.S. intellectual property rights.

99 problems but a ditch ain't one: In our latest "Ohio Matters" report, cleveland.com's Mary Kilpatrick writes that Seneca County farmers are pleased that Trump wants to block the Obama administration's attempt to regulate drainage ditches. "It would extend the timeframe for, let's say, cleaning a drainage ditch, which -- time is money, increasing our costs," said Seneca County farmer Roger Lange.

Taxing issue: Many city officials around Ohio are resisting Gov. John Kasich's call for the state to start collecting business net profit taxes on behalf of local governments, the Dispatch's Jim Siegel reports. Local officials worry that the state's online filing system isn't ready to roll, and suspect that the state would be tempted in the future to keep some of the money it collects.

Schiavoni's Top Three List: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Schiavoni campaigned in his hometown of Boardman on Monday, telling a crowd of 150 at a local union hall that he'll work to ensure people have good jobs, have good education for their kids, and feel safe in their neighborhoods. "If you don't have those three, then the other things don't matter," Schiavoni said, according to the Youngstown Vindicator's David Skolnick.

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