Derek Merrin

Derek Merrin (born March 10, 1986) is an American politician serving as the state representative for the 42nd District Ohio House of Representatives. He is a Republican. The district includes western Lucas County, south Toledo, Maumee and Springfield Township.

Derek Merrin
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 42nd district
Assumed office
August 2, 2016
Preceded byBarbara Sears
Personal details
Born (1986-03-10) March 10, 1986
Smithtown, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Toledo (BA)
Bowling Green State University (MA)

Life and career

Merrin was born in Smithtown, New York, and moved to Waterville, Ohio, with his family when he was thirteen years old.[1] He is a graduate of Monclova Christian Academy. Politically inclined at a very early age, Merrin was elected to the Waterville City Council at the age of nineteen.[2] Two years later, he was elected Mayor. Along with his time in public office, Merrin also previously worked for Ohio Auditor Dave Yost and also has a small business flipping houses.[3]

Merrin graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor's of Arts, and subsequently Bowling Green State University with a Master's in Arts. In 2012 he was named 'Thirty Conservatives Under Thirty' by Red Alert Politics.[4]

Ohio House of Representatives

With Representative Barbara Sears term-limited in 2016, Merrin entered the race to succeed her.[5] He would go on to win a three-way primary against Republicans Vicki Donovan-Lyle and Kevin Haddad with over 45% of the vote. A Republican leaning district, Merrin nonetheless would have faced Democrat Lauri Cooper in the 2016 general election.[6]

Merrin received the opportunity to enter office early when Sears resigned from the seat to take a position in the administration of Ohio Governor John Kasich.[7] As the winner of the Republican primary, Ohio House Republicans led by Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger appointed Merrin to serve the remainder of Sears' term.[8] He was sworn into office on August 2, 2016.[9]

In 2019, Merrin co-sponsored legislation that would ban abortion in Ohio and criminalize what they called "abortion murder". Doctors who performed abortions in cases of ectopic pregnancy and other life-threatening conditions would be exempt from prosecution only if they "[took] all possible steps to preserve the life of the unborn child, while preserving the life of the woman. Such steps include, if applicable, attempting to reimplant an ectopic pregnancy into the woman's uterus".[10][11][12][13] Reimplantation of an ectopic pregnancy is not a recognized or medically feasible procedure.[10][14]

In 2022, Merrin lost the Speaker election to Jason Stephens, who had bipartisan support, 54-43 votes. [15]

References
  1. "3 running for Sears' seat in Ohio House". Toledo Blade. 2016-11-03. Archived from the original on 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  2. "Derek Merrin announces candidacy for OH47". Toledo Tea Party. 2015-10-25. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  3. "Ohio House Speaker meets with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump". Twinsburg Bulletin. 2016-08-03. Archived from the original on 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  4. "Gavarone, Merrin to be sworn in as Ohio representatives". Toledo Blade. 2016-07-04. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  5. "3 in GOP vying for 3rd District". Toledo Blade. 2016-07-10. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  6. "3 seek GOP nod in Ohio's 47th House district". Toledo Blade. 2016-02-10. Archived from the original on 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  7. "Merrin nominated to succeed Rep. Sears". Toledo Blade. 2016-03-16. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  8. "Ohio Rep. Sears to join Kasich administration". Toledo Blade. 2016-06-08. Archived from the original on 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  9. "Derek Merrin's Voting Records - the Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart". Archived from the original on 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  10. Glenza, Jessica (November 29, 2019). "Ohio bill orders doctors to 'reimplant ectopic pregnancy' or face 'abortion murder' charges". The Guardian. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  11. Ohio anti-abortion bill would force procedure not medically possible, Lauren Steussy, New York Post, November 2, 2019
  12. Ohio bill would make doctors 'reimplant' ectopic pregnancies (which is impossible) or face 'abortion murder' charges, National Post, November 29, 2019
  13. "House Bill 413 | The Ohio Legislature". www.legislature.ohio.gov.
  14. Rezac, Mary. "Pro-life doctors: Despite Ohio bill, there is no procedure to save ectopic pregnancies". Catholic News Agency.
  15. "In a surprise move, Ohio House picks Jason Stephens as next speaker". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.