(The Center Square) – For the third time, a Cincinnati judge issued a preliminary injunction against restrictions on medication abortions in Ohio.
The order blocks a state law that could lead to punishment for physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives for providing medication abortions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.
“We are relieved by the court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction that will allow advanced practice clinicians to provide medication abortions to Ohio patients in need,” said a joint statement from the ACLU-Ohio, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region. “Advanced practice clinicians are completely qualified to provide medication abortions under their state licensure and should not be punished by the state for providing vital care to patients in line with their scope of practice.”
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway said when voters overwhelmingly enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, they also placed a heavy burden on the state when it attempts to restrict abortion rights.
“The Amendment explicitly sets an applicable legal standard – one that places a stringent burden on the state,” the order reads. “Under the Amendment, patient health is the only state interest that an abortion regulation may constitutionally advance. Therefore, any restrictions on abortion must be narrowly tailored to further protect patient’s health and such restrictions must be the least restrictive means to advance the patient’s health in accordance with widely accepted and evidence-based standards.’”
The case, filed on behalf of abortion clinics and health care providers, continues on its merits.
“The Reproductive Freedom Amendment grants sweeping protections ensuring reproductive autonomy for patients in Ohio, and this decision removes an additional barrier to making medication abortion widely available in Ohio,” the groups said in their statement. “We will continue to fight for the reproductive rights of all Ohioans and work to dismantle abortion restrictions.”
