COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A county judge could rule as early as Monday on Ohio’s law banning virtually all abortions, a decision that will take into consideration the decision by voters to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. The 2019 law under consideration by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins bans most abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before many women are aware. A group of abortion clinics sought to overturn the law even before voters approved Issue 1, which gives every person in Ohio “the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” Ohio’s Republican attorney general, Dave Yost, acknowledged in court filings that the 2023 amendment rendered the ban unconstitutional, but has sought to maintain other elements of the prohibition, including certain notification and reporting provisions. |
French PM Élisabeth Borne resigns ahead of expected reshuffle'It's a deliberate strategy to erase us' – Whanganui iwi prepare for national huiScrapping clean car discount cost $138m in fuel savings – transport officialsOtago Regional Council votes to keep halfDespair in Gaza as fighting intensifies, despite Israel promise to scale backWeather: Easter weekend chill calls for extra layersOpen fires banned in Hawke's BayChile forest fires: At least 64 dead in Valparaíso regionUkraine support package worth $87b agreed by EU leadersClimate Change Minister says COP28 draft 'does not go far enough'