Ohio Judge Blocks Laws Mandating 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortions for Violating Reproductive Freedom Amendment

COLUMBUS- Today, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas granted our request to temporarily block several Ohio laws that together forced abortion patients to wait a minimum of 24 hours after receiving unnecessary state-mandated information in person before accessing their desired abortion care. This is the first ruling on the merits of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment to the Ohio Constitution, which took effect in December 2023.

The judge held that the challenged requirements – the 24-hour waiting period requirement, the in-person visit requirement, and the state-mandated information requirements for abortion care – do not advance patient health and violate the reproductive rights guaranteed by the amendment. Jessie Hill, cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Ohio, delivered oral arguments in this case on Friday, August 16.

A statement from Jessie Hill, cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Ohio is as follows:

“This is a historic victory for abortion patients and for all Ohio voters who voiced support for the constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. It’s clear that the newly amended Ohio Constitution works as the voters intend: to protect the fundamental right to abortion and to forbid the state from infringing on it except when necessary to protect the health of a pregnant person. This decision is the first step in removing unnecessary barriers to care. We celebrate this ruling and will push forward to make this injunction permanent.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP filed this lawsuit on March 29, 2024, on behalf of Preterm-Cleveland, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Women’s Med Group Professional Corporation, Northeast Ohio Women’s Center, and Dr. Catherine Romanos.