A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks into pregnancy is reverberating across Ohio as advocates for access caution the Buckeye State could wind up with similar restrictions on the books.
After all, Ohio already tried it.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in 2019 that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, marking the end of a years-long effort by one Ohio activist to shut down abortions. It also established the state as a trailblazer for anti-abortion policies in the United States.
But before the law could take effect, a federal judge blocked it on the grounds that it would place an "undue burden" on a woman’s right to choose a pre-viability abortion.
Now, advocates on both sides of the debate in Ohio are watching Texas and waiting on another U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could unravel the constitutional right to abortion established under Roe v. Wade.
