Ohio Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Heartbeat Bill

The Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next month for a case involving a Hamilton County preliminary injunction against the state’s “heartbeat” abortion ban. The hearing is set for Sept. 27.  The Ohio Supreme Court accepted the case in March, agreeing to hear an appeal from Attorney General Dave Yost, who contested the lower court’s decision to keep the case in Hamilton County.  The court will also review whether those groups that sued over the heartbeat law have legal standing in their case. If the abortion rights groups don’t have legal standing, the decision would see their case dismissed and the heartbeat law reinstated in the state.

The hearing date announcement comes just two days after Ohio voters rejected Issue 1, a ballot measure that would have made it more difficult for a proposed abortion amendment to pass in the state’s November election. Ohio residents are set to vote on whether abortion rights will be added to the state constitution, which, if approved, would protect the medical practice under state law.

The abortion constitutional amendment would allow “every individual … to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” It would also prohibit abortion “after fetal viability,” which is currently cut off around 22-24 weeks of pregnancy in Ohio.