In Ohio, it is the law that no one can force another person into an abortion. No one, not even parents or a husband, can require another person to undergo an abortion. You, and only you, will be asked to sign a consent form at the abortion clinic. If you do not sign it, the abortion cannot legally be performed.

You have other legal rights too. If you are seeking an abortion within the jurisdiction of the United States, you have the right to insist that the abortion be performed by a licensed physician, and the right to insist that this physician be insured to protect your interests in case of injury or death. [Source: Patient Rights, Abortion Disclosure Form, Life Dynamics Inc., P.O. Box 185, Lewisville, TX 75067, (214) 436-3885.)

Abortion providers are largely unregulated. Abortion is legal: malpractice and substandard medical care are not. Know your doctor! (While there is a law that should pressure abortion clinics to improve their facilities, we have reason to doubt that the law is being enforced.)

Check to see if the doctor has hospital privileges and where. Write down the name of hospitals where the doctor has privileges. This information would be extremely important if there were complications. The chance of major complications is small. But when failure does happen, it is your life that is on the line.

In Ohio, it is also the law that you must be offered, by a physician, information on possible complications of abortion, the development of the baby, and organizations that provide alternatives to abortion. This is to be given to you at least 24 hours before the abortion. If the clinic or abortion provider does not do this, they are not complying with the law. Ask the clinic or provider if this is part of their procedure.

Your freedom of choice gives you the right to change your mind and keep your baby, even when you are on the table for the abortion. While on the table for the abortion, some girls have decided that they do not want to have the abortion. At that time, attempts were made to persuade them to go through with the abortion.

Remember, the decision is yours. It is not the doctor or nurse's decision. This is their job. It is your life and you are the one who will live with this decision for a lifetime. Once you are on the table, ready for the abortion, you will have already paid your money (most clinics collect your money even before you have any counseling or talk to anyone about the abortion). If you change your mind, you do have the right to ask to have at least part of your money returned. You can change your mind, if you want to, any time while you are at the clinic, before the abortion is performed.

Some abortion providers insist that all patients sign a statement saying they will not hold the clinic or the doctor liable for damages which might occur because of the abortion. Often these statements are used to discourage individuals from bringing lawsuits for physical and/or emotional injuries. Women think that they can't seek financial compensation in a court of law because they signed some kind of release — and that may not be the case. It just depends.

To get more information or talk to someone about your rights please call our Hotline at 614-444-4411 to ask questions or to make an appointment to come into one of our offices. Our Hotline is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to help you

Also write down these numbers:

1-800-634-2224, the American Rights Coalition. You can call them for legal, emotional, or medical help after an abortion; they specialize in referring people for help who have been the victims of malpractice.

Here's another number to keep on hand: If you are injured during your abortion, even if you signed a statement saying you would not hold the clinic or doctor legally responsible, call: Life Dynamics Incorporated at 1-800-401-6494. (You can call them, too, if someone is trying to force you to have an abortion.)

There are also organizations that have lawyer referral services. Two of them are the American Center for Law and Justice and the Christian Legal Society. The number for the American Center for Law and Justice is (757) 226-2489 and the number for the Christian Legal Society is (703) 894-1077.