Child’s Right to Life Important: Range

In an interview with 20 international journalists taking part in the Foreign Press Centre’s "Democracy is More than Election Day" reporting tour, Peter Range, the chief executive officer of Ohio Right to Life (Pro Life), reaffirmed his support for every child's right to life.

Founded in 1967 in response to increasingly permissive abortion laws across the United States, Ohio Right to Life addresses various issues aimed at promoting and safeguarding the dignity of human life, with abortion being the most prevalent.

Mr Range acknowledged the effectiveness of the Pro-Choice Ohio movement in swaying public opinion but emphasised the importance of their ongoing efforts to change hearts and minds regarding the equal dignity and worth of the unborn in society.

He pointed out that Ohio's abortion rate dropped significantly under legislation such as the heartbeat bill, which prohibits abortions once the baby's heartbeat is detectable, recognising human life beginning at conception.

"Roughly in Ohio there's currently about 20,000 abortions that take place in our state on a yearly basis. Those numbers dropped dramatically when what was called the heartbeat Bill was in place. It is important to recognise that human life begins at conception but the law itself recognises that when the baby's heart starts beating, then it could not be aborted here in our state," Mr Range said.

"Personally, I go to the abortion facilities, and I pray and I don't go to yell or judge. But I go to offer my own financial assistance and help to say, can we help you? Can we, you know, help pay your rent bill. Can we help you find housing? Can we get you a car, whatever it might be?."

Peter Range

Abortion is illegal in Fiji under the Fijian Crimes Act [CR 234] Abortion, where the Act states that a person who commits abortion could face a 14-year-imprisonment term.

However, an abortion could be performed by a medical practitioner in good faith and with reasonable care and skill, or if the pregnancy is a result of incest, rape, or poses a serious danger to the woman's physical or mental health.

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