Sandra O'Brien
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Sandra O'Brien
| image name=
| state_senate=Ohio
| state=Ohio
| district=32nd
| term_start= January 1, 2021
| term_end=
| preceded=Sean O'Brien
| succeeded=
| birth_date=
| birth_place=
| party=Republican
| residence=Lenox Township, Ohio{{cite web|title=Sean O'Brien v. Sandra O'Brien|url=https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2020/10/sean-obrien-v-sandra-obrien/|accessdate=Jan 17, 2021|publisher=vindy.com|date=Oct 20, 2020}}
| spouse=
| death_date=
| death_place=
| alma_mater=Bowling Green University (BA)
Edinboro University (Master of Educational Administration)
| religion=
| profession=
}}
Sandra O'Brien is a Republican member of the Ohio Senate representing the 32nd district. She was elected in 2020, defeating Democratic incumbent Sean O'Brien with just under 51% of the vote.{{cite web|title=Sandra O'Brien unseats Sean O'Brien to represent 32nd District|url=https://www.wkbn.com/news/elections/sandra-obrien-unseats-sean-obrien-to-represent-32nd-district/|accessdate=Jan 17, 2021|publisher=wkbn.com|date=Nov 3, 2020}}
Abortion legislation
In 2019, O'Brien co-sponsored Ohio Senate Bill 23, widely known as the "Heartbeat Bill." The law bans most abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which typically occurs around six weeks into pregnancy—before many people know they are pregnant. The bill makes no exceptions for rape or incest. Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on April 11, 2019.{{Cite web |last=Ingber |first=Sasha |date=2019-04-11 |title=A Bill Banning Most Abortions Becomes Law In Ohio |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/712455980/a-bill-banning-most-abortions-becomes-law-in-ohio |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=NPR}}
O'Brien’s co-sponsorship of SB 23 reflected her alignment with efforts to impose stricter abortion regulations in Ohio. The legislation sparked significant legal and public controversy.{{Cite web |title=Ohio Senate Bill 23 - 2019 |url=https://legiscan.com/OH/bill/SB23/2019 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=LegiScan}}
In September 2022, a judge in Hamilton County temporarily blocked the law’s enforcement, restoring abortion access in the state up to 22 weeks of pregnancy while litigation continued.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-14 |title=Ohio Lower Court Blocks Six-Week Abortion Ban, Restoring Reproductive Rights Across State |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/ohio-lower-court-blocks-six-week-abortion-ban-restoring-reproductive-rights-across |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=ACLU}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Joe Deters}}
{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Ohio State Treasurer|years=2006}}
{{s-aft|after=Josh Mandel}}
{{s-end}}
{{Members of the Ohio Senate}}
{{OhioSen32ndDst}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Sandra}}
Category:Republican Party Ohio state senators
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:People from Ashtabula County, Ohio
Category:Bowling Green State University alumni
Category:Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro alumni
Category:Women state legislators in Ohio
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly
{{Ohio-politician-stub}}