Court extends pause on Ohio abortion ban

by Julia Shapero - 10/07/22 6:12 PM ET

FILE – Protesters rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, in support of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade on June 24, 2022. A judge temporarily blocked Ohio’s ban on virtually all abortions, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, again pausing a law that took effect after federal abortion protections were overturned by the Supreme Court in June. (Barbara J. Perenic /The Columbus Dispatch via AP, File)

An Ohio court on Friday agreed to block enforcement of the state’s six-week abortion ban for the remainder of an ongoing legal battle.

The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas granted abortion providers and advocates a preliminary injunction on Friday, extending a temporary 14-day restraining order from last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a press release.

The court has yet to release a written order for the decision, which will allow abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy to continue throughout the case, the ACLU noted.

“We are thrilled with this second major victory and relieved that patients in Ohio can continue to access abortion as we work to fight this unjust and dangerous ban in court,” Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and several Ohio abortion providers said in a statement.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed the abortion ban into law back in 2019. The law banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected, which is typically around six weeks.

However, a judge blocked the law from going into effect. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, the block was removed.

“We’ve already had a glimpse of the harm caused by Senate Bill 23 when it was in effect this summer, and we can’t go back,” the abortion providers and advocates added. “Ohioans deserve far better than the chaos and confusion that we’ve seen since the U.S. Supreme Court stripped us of our federal constitutional right to an abortion.”