Election 2026

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Issue record

Reproductive rights

In short

Kaptur's campaign says health decisions belong to a woman and her doctor, and opposes a national abortion ban and any ban without exceptions for rape, incest or the mother's life. Merrin's campaign lists no abortion position on the pages checked. On the record, Merrin sponsored the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act, a 2017 Ohio law the legislature titles "Prohibit abortion if unborn has or may have Down Syndrome."

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Marcy Kaptur

Her campaign says a woman's health decisions belong between a woman and her doctor, that she opposes a national abortion ban, and that she opposes any ban without exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother.

Derek Merrin

No reproductive-rights position was found on the campaign site reviewed for this comparison. His Ohio House record includes a 2017 law on the subject, which appears in the evidence below.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Derek Merrin: Matches stated record claim

    He sponsored House Bill 214, signed in December 2017, which the legislature titles "Prohibit abortion if unborn has or may have Down Syndrome."

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    Full detail

    His campaign says he prevailed in his pursuit of the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act. He is recorded as the sponsor of H.B. 214 of the 132nd General Assembly, signed December 22, 2017 and effective March 23, 2018. The General Assembly's own short title for it is "Prohibit abortion if unborn has or may have Down Syndrome". Both names describe the same law. Limit: He sponsored it and it became law, which is what the claim says. The card prints the legislature's own title beside the campaign's name for it because the two describe the same law in different words, and a reader is entitled to both. It takes no position on the law.

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Sources3 source records

How we use sources

  1. Marcy's Prioritieshttps://marcykaptur.com/priorities/

    Marcy Kaptur for Congress · Reviewed Sep 20, 2026

    Campaign-controlled source. Positions are attributed, not independently verified facts.

    candidate statement

    For: Marcy Kaptur: campaign position

  2. Campaign home page, including the About sectionhttps://derekmerrin.com/

    Derek Merrin for Congress · Reviewed Sep 20, 2026

    Campaign-controlled source and the whole of the campaign's site: it is one page whose only internal link is a privacy policy. Positions and record claims are attributed, not independently verified facts. The domain merrinforcongress.com is a registrar parking page and is not the campaign's site.

    candidate statement

    For: Derek Merrin: campaign position; Derek Merrin: Matches stated record claim

  3. H.B. 214, 132nd General Assemblyhttps://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/132/hb214

    Ohio General Assembly · Reviewed Sep 20, 2026

    Sponsor, the legislature's own short title, signature and effective dates.

    official legislative record

    For: Derek Merrin: Matches stated record claim