That ends the hearing, but our opposition continues.

Rep. @anitamd.bsky.social asks if the witness will be considering practicing outside of Ohio because of bills like this. The medical student says she will.

"This bill will also dissuade current and future medical providers such as myself from wanting to live and practice in Ohio. It is imperative that Ohio attracts and maintains a strong medical professional force to care for our communities."

Next witness is another medical student: "This bill would directly harm patients by preventing patients who use Medicaid from being able to access care at Planned Parenthood. This bill would limit the provision of non-abortion care services like cancer screenings, birth control, and wellness exams."

Rep. Ferguson asks the witness if she believes it's a bad financial investment for Ohio to spend money on this care. Rep. @anitamd.bsky.social says that Ohio is currently wasting money on crisis pregnancy centers and should redirect that funding for Medicaid patients.

Committee member Rep. @anitamd.bsky.social Somani offers testimony as a witness in support of abortion patients and illustrating why this bill is unnecessary. She's speaking as a physician since the committee's rushed calendar did not allow for physicians to clear their schedules.

Rep. @reprachelbaker.bsky.social asks a question to confirm that Medicaid funds are not being used for abortion care. Rep. Gross again suggests that Planned Parenthood abandon their mission and screw over abortion patients.

PP: "Creating unnecessary and detrimental barriers to healthcare will deepen the state’s public health crisis, including high maternal and infant mortality rates, sexually transmitted
infection rates, and disproportionately harm at-risk groups."

PP: "Ohio already has 114 designated Medically Underserved Areas, and 8 Planned Parenthood healthcare centers are in areas with a Primary Care Health Care Shortage—there is no way that Ohio’s healthcare system can serve the patients that will be without a medical home because of this Medicaid ban."

Next witness is @daniellefirsich.bsky.social from @ppaohio.bsky.social to testify against the bill and in support of Planned Parenthood's thousands of patients who rely on Medicaid funding for life-saving, essential healthcare.

Rep. @lettforohio.bsky.social asks about the nature of the care provided by Planned Parenthood that would be impacted. Committee chair Jennifer Gross follows up by noting that Planned Parenthood wouldn't lose funding if they abandoned their mission of providing abortion for patients.

Question from Rep. @anitamd.bsky.social: Is the healthcare environment in Ohio a factor in medical students deciding where to practice? Answer: Yes, it is something that medical students consider.

Medical student: "The young physicians of my generation will be forced to violate the Hippocratic Oath because of this legislation, going against every moral imperative that drew us to the profession in the first place."

Next witness is Noyonikaa Gupta, a medical student: "HB 410 is a direct attack on the 43% of Planned Parenthood patients who rely on Medicaid. In addition to restricting healthcare access for thousands of women and families, this bill will inevitably lead to brain drain from Ohio."

Our @jmiracleoh.bsky.social is first to testify. Read her full testimony on our blog: abortionforward.org/blog/medicai...

Rep. @berylbrownpic.bsky.social asks the bill sponsor how his proposal on having a happy marriage to succeed in life would apply to people in unhappy and abusive marriages. The bill sponsor claims to not understand the question.