Ohio abortion clinics challenge state ban

A group of abortion clinics and abortion rights organizations filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to block the state’s six-week abortion ban, which went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood and the WilmerHale law firm have filed a lawsuit to restore access to abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. WilmerHale is representing organizations like Preterm Cleveland, Northeast Ohio Women’s Center and Toledo Women’s Center.

Like several other state lawsuits have argued since Roe was overturned, the Ohio suit asserts that abortions are still protected under the Ohio Constitution. The plaintiffs cited the document’s “broad protections for individual liberties” as well as its “equal protection guarantee.”

“This sweeping measure, which prevents nearly every pregnant person from accessing essential care, is blatantly unconstitutional under Ohio’s state constitution which has broad protections for individual liberties,” Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement.

The law the plaintiffs are asking the Ohio Supreme Court to block bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which often occurs before women are aware they are pregnant.

The suit argued that this bill has “decimated abortion access in Ohio.”

Similar suits in states like Louisiana and Texas have led to abortion bans being temporarily blocked pending further review, allowing for abortions to still be performed in those states for the time being.

Suits have been filed in the majority of the 13 states that had trigger laws set to go into effect immediately or soon after Roe was overturned.