Ohio might make it illegal for insurance to cover abortions, even in cases of rape, incest and when pregnancy threatens a mother's life.

Ohio might make it illegal for insurance to cover abortions, even in cases of rape, incest and when pregnancy threatens a mother's life.

The first hearing for House Bill 351 was held yesterday.

The only exception allowed in the bill, which would affect all insurance policies that cover Ohioans, is in cases of ectopic, or tubal, pregnancies.

The bill also would ban insurance coverage for public employees as well as those on Medicaid for birth control that prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg, such as intrauterine devices, known as IUDs.

During testimony, Rep. John Becker, a suburban Cincinnati Republican who sponsored the bill, acknowledged that the wording can be interpreted to include birth-control pills, which he said wasn't his intention. An amendment could be introduced to clarify that point, he said.

When it came to IUDs, which are plastic devices implanted into a woman, Becker said they should be included in the ban because they prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg, meaning they can be considered an abortion.

"This is just a personal view. I'm not a medical doctor," Becker said.

Rep. John Carney, D-Columbus, disagreed, and said that it's "just a fact" that an IUD doesn't cause an abortion. He said he found the bill to be "very disrespectful to the women of our state."

According to Planned Parenthood, which provides women's health-care services such as access to abortions and contraception, an in-clinic abortion can cost between $300 and $950 in the first trimester.

The bill would eliminate a provision that allows insurance to provide abortion coverage for women in the case of rape and incest, a choice that Carney said should be made by doctors and not bureaucrats.

However, Becker said "the right to life" of the fertilized egg or fetus "trumps those other issues" and that rapists should be executed, not the human products of rape.

A representative from Planned Parenthood said in a statement that lawmakers need to stop putting women's health at risk by attempting to restrict access.

"Every day in this state, women face the complex decision of whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or raise a child," said Stephanie Kight, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio president and CEO. "When they need guidance, women turn to their family members, their faith leaders and their health-care providers. They don't turn to their legislators. Politicians have no place in this decision-making process, and that includes using financial restrictions to force a woman's decision."

According to data from the Ohio Department of Health, 1 in 7 women who obtained an abortion in 2012 was younger than 20. The number of abortions reported in the state was more than 25,000.

Earlier this year, Michigan banned abortion coverage in the private marketplace without an additional rider, which must be purchased ahead of time.

The idea was labeled "rape insurance" by Democrats.

The Ohio bill would prohibit those who would be receiving money from state or local funds from purchasing riders.

kmitchell@dispatch.com

@Kristenreports