Ohio law banning nearly all abortions now invalid after referendum, attorney general says

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON
Associated Press/Report For America

Ohio’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost says a 2019 law banning most abortions in the state is unconstitutional. The attorney general’s court filing on Monday comes after abortion clinics asked a Hamilton County judge to throw out the law since Ohio voters decided to enshrine abortion in the state constitution last November. The law bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, and clinics have argued the new constitutional amendment invalidates it. Yost mostly agrees. However, he has asked the court to only strike down the part of the law that bans abortions after six weeks and let other portions remain. These include requiring a doctor to check for a heartbeat and inform a patient.