COLUMBUS, Ohio – State lawmakers are being hauled into court over abortion-related rules in Ohio’s budget.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state yesterday, saying those provisions are unconstitutional.
“To put it simply, none of these amendments have any place in the state budget bill,” said ACLU cooperating attorney Susan Scheutzow of the law firm of Kohrman Jackson and Krantz.
The lawsuit alleges all three amendments violate the Ohio Constitution’s “single subject” rule and are therefore unconstitutional. Republican lawmakers say the rules are legal.
One of the amendments in question bans public hospitals from making transfer agreements with abortion clinics. Another requires clinics to present patients with evidence of a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion. The third creates a new state “parenting and pregnancy” program that redirects state money directly from organizations like Planned Parenthood into community health centers and private organizations, many of which are church-affiliated and are forbidden from mentioning abortion services.