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Governor Kasich expected to veto bills supported by Ginter

LISBON — Gov. John Kasich is expected to veto two controversial bills supported by state Rep. Tim Ginter, R-Salem.

The lame-duck session of the state legislature recently approved a bill banning abortions when a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, and a bill eliminating the legal duty to retreat before using force in self defense. Kasich announced this week he intends to veto both bills.

The Ohio House passed both bills, mostly along party lines, with Ginter in support. Ginter, who is a pastor at a non-denominational church in Salem, sees his vote on the heartbeat bill as an extension of his opposition to abortion on moral grounds.

“Science has given us a far different view of what’s going on in the mother’s womb than was available when Roe v. Wade was passed. Science has proven that the fetus is not a part of the woman’s body. It has it’s own DNA. It is immunologically and biologically distinct. It is a separate human life,” he said in an email.

Ginter pointed out there are criminal laws that recognize the mother and her unborn child as separate victims when a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered or severely injured during a violent act.

The bill has come under fire from pro-abortion groups and legislators who fear this would bring back unsafe illegal abortions. One particular criticism is the bill does not include exemptions for pregnant women who are rape or incest victims.

Ginter believes it his duty as an American to support the bill. “The very first ‘self evident’ right designated by our forefathers in the Declaration of Independence is ‘life,’ and I have a duty to protect life, regardless of how small or how young,” he said.

The so-called “stand your ground” bill eliminates the current legal requirement that a person has a duty to first retreat before using force in self defense. This shifts the burden of proof in self defense cases from the alleged victim to county prosecutors.

One female black state legislator described this bill as “a bad idea for people that look like me.” Another Democratic legislator said the bill demonstrates the legislature is “tone deaf” to what is happening around the country.

Ginter felt this bill was a no-brainer, noting 38 other states have similar laws.

“Ohio is the only state where the victim is responsible to prove themselves innocent when our very system of justice is based upon innocent until proven guilty,” he said, adding people who initiate or escalate a confrontation to where it results in deadly force will still not be considered to have acted in self defense under the bill.

“I have an obligation to make sure that law-abiding citizens in our state don’t have to try to decide, sometimes in as little as a couple of seconds, if they will be able to defend themselves in court before they decide to defend themselves or their family in a life and death situation,” he said,

The bill would also allow individuals to challenge local gun-control ordinances.

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