For Immediate Release: July 3, 2019
Meg Wittman, Executive Director
Contact: 513-728-7870

On Wednesday, July 3rd, U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett, a George Bush appointee, issued a preliminary injunction against Ohio's Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act, set to go into effect on July 11th. This renders the law ineffective until a decision is made by the courts. The ACLU of Ohio and Planned Parenthood filed the original suit on behalf of Preterm-Cleveland and other Ohio abortion providers. 

In a 12-page order, Judge Barrett wrote, " S.B 23, as its sponsors intended, will have the effect of preventing nearly all abortions in Ohio...One could characterize the obstacle Ohio women will face as not merely 'substantial,' but, rather, 'insurmountable.'"

Furthermore, he said, "This Court concludes that S.B. 23 places an 'undue burden' on a woman’s right to choose a pre-viability abortion, and, under Casey, Plaintiffs are certain to succeed on
the merits of their claim. To the extent that the State of Ohio 'is making a deliberate effort to overturn Roe [v.Wade] and established constitutional precedent,'...those arguments must be made to a higher court."

Read the full injunction HERE .

"While we anticipated a decision like this, we are still deeply saddened that the courts will not protect the most vulnerable among us. Governor DeWine, the state of Ohio, and the pro-life movement are prepared for this court battle," said Meg Wittman, Executive Director of Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati. "With hard work and prayer, we are confident that Truth will triumph, and that we will one day see Roe v. Wade overturned."

Background
On Thursday, April 11, 2019, Ohio made history when Governor Mike DeWine signed into law the Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act less than 24 hours after it cleared both the Ohio House and Senate. For over eight years, pro-life advocates in Ohio have sought the passage of this life-saving law. The law prevents doctors from aborting babies with detectable heartbeats.