COLUMBUS – Abortion is now illegal in Ohio following the detection of a fetal heartbeat.
Within hours of a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling the legalized abortion in the United States, a federal judge granted a request from the state to lift an injunction that had prevented the 2019 law from being enforced.
The Heartbeat Bill is now the law. pic.twitter.com/ipO9fMQ4H0
— Attorney General Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) June 24, 2022
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order Friday night permitting the Ohio Department of Health to sets rules for enforcement of the so-called Heartbeat Bill, which DeWine signed into law three years ago.
Large crowds of demonstrators gathered outside the Statehouse
over the weekend to support abortion rights and protest the decision.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley were among those who addressed the crowd as Democrats across the nation hope to harness their party’s collective outrage and sadness to improve their political outlook this fall. The court’s decision ensured that abortion would be a central issue in U.S. politics for the foreseeable future, starting with the November midterm.
Polling shows that relatively few Americans wanted to see Roe overturned.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, ACLU, and ACLU of Ohio issued a joint statement stating their intention to challenge the law in court.
“The fight is not over. We will continue to do everything possible to ensure that people can control their own medical decisions,” the groups vowed.
Judge Michael Barrett of the Southern District U.S. Federal Court ordered the injunction lifted late Friday.
Abortion bans that were put on the books in some states in the event Roe v. Wade was overturned have started automatically going into effect, while clinics elsewhere — including Alabama, Texas and West Virginia — have stopped performing abortions for fear of prosecution, sending women away in tears.
America was convulsed with anger, joy, fear and confusion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe.
The canyon-like divide across the U.S. over the right to terminate a pregnancy was on full display, with abortion rights supporters calling it a dark day in history, while abortion foes welcomed the ruling as the answer to their prayers.