It has been a year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. This decision has had a significant impact on Ohio, where the state’s 2019 Heartbeat Law went into effect for three months before a state constitutional challenge blocked it.
The law dropped Ohio’s legal limit on abortion from 22 weeks of pregnancy to about 6 weeks. Ohio has multiple layers of law which make abortion illegal, resulting from multiple laws passed over the decades. However, abortions up to 22 weeks are currently legal in Ohio, and will remain legal indefinitely as litigation continues.
The Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans abortion in Ohio after any embryonic cardiac activity is detected, was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on April 11, 2019. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Judge Michael R. Barrett lifted a preliminary injunction that had blocked state officials from enforcing the law against certain abortion providers, allowing the Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act to take full effect.
However, the law was challenged in court, and a judge put Ohio’s 6-week ban on hold indefinitely. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has made way for several states to outright ban abortion effective immediately, but the legality of Ohio’s abortion laws remains in flux. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the ACLU of Ohio has been working to protect reproductive rights in the state. The organization has launched a campaign to educate Ohioans about their rights and to fight against laws that restrict access to abortion.
The debate over abortion laws in Ohio is far from over. As litigation continues, it remains to be seen what the future holds for reproductive rights in the state.
How Have Ohio Residents Been Impacted By The Changes In Abortion Laws
The changes in Ohio’s abortion laws have had a significant impact on Ohio residents. The struggles of some pregnant women in Ohio have gone up. On top of the distresses of pregnancy, Ohioans who are open to abortion for various reasons now face difficulty in accessing the procedure.
Women now travel long distances to clinics in Ohio. Proposed abortion bans substantially increase travel distances to abortion care, impacting over 2.2 million reproductive-aged people. Unquestionably, it would discourage some people from getting an abortion and increase the number of second-trimester abortions for those who could still get treatment. Women in Ohio face time missed at work, lost pay, and the additional expenditures and difficulties associated with finding child care, lodging, and suitable and accessible transportation.
The average one-way driving distance to an abortion clinic for a woman of reproductive age in Ohio increases from 15 miles to 120 miles (or 700% longer) in the state.
Women in Ohio also face limited access to abortion. Ohio’s Heartbeat Law, which went into effect for three months before a state constitutional challenge blocked it, dropped Ohio’s legal limit on abortion from 22 weeks of pregnancy to about 6 weeks. The Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans abortion in Ohio after any embryonic cardiac activity is detected, was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on April 11, 2019.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a judge lifted a preliminary injunction that had blocked state officials from enforcing the law against certain abortion providers, allowing the Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act to take full effect. However, the law was challenged in court, and a judge put Ohio’s 6-week ban on hold indefinitely.
In Ohio, a patient must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage them from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. The counseling must be provided in person by the physician who will perform the abortion or by a referring physician.
Ohio is one of 32 states that require counseling before an abortion is performed. Patients may have to take time off work or school to attend the counseling session, and may have to travel long distances to reach a provider who can perform the procedure. Additionally, the counseling may include medically inaccurate or biased information that is intended to discourage the patient from having an abortion.
About 2,470 fewer people obtained abortions in Ohio following the six-week abortion ban, according to a national reporting effort sponsored by the Society of Family Planning. There has been a decline in abortion rates which spells danger because women would resort to unsafe abortions.
Abortions in Ohio dropped by 65% in the months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the state imposed a six-week abortion ban. In the six months since the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ohio abortion providers performed an estimated 4,290 fewer abortions – the fourth-largest drop in the country.
Documentation of abortion utilization in Ohio during this period is important so that Ohioans and lawmakers understand the impact of law and policy changes.
The legal and political landscape surrounding abortion in Ohio is complex and evolving, and it will continue to be an important issue for years to come.
