COLUMBUS- Today, the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas granted our request to permanently block the enforcement of Senate Bill 27, a law that requires burial or cremation of fetal and embryonic tissue from procedural abortions. This is the fourth historic application of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment to the Ohio Constitution, which took effect in December 2023.
The lawsuit was originally filed in March 2021, a preliminary injunction was granted in April 2021, and a second preliminary injunction was granted in February 2022. In April 2024, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, adding a claim under the new Reproductive Freedom Amendment. In August, the plaintiffs asked the court to rule in their favor and block the law permanently without a trial because it unconstitutionally discriminated against plaintiffs and their patients, in clear violation of the Amendment’s guarantees. Today, a Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge agreed: “S.B. 27 serves only to target and discriminate against individuals seeking procedural abortions and their healthcare providers” and must be permanently enjoined.
A statement from Jessie Hill, cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Ohio is as follows:
“This law clearly violates the Ohio Constitution, as its sole purpose was to impose severe burdens on abortion patients and providers, and to shame patients in seeking care. While this law has been temporarily blocked for years, we are relieved that the order is now final so our clients can move forward and focus on providing essential healthcare. We celebrate this ruling as yet another testament to the power of Ohio’s new Reproductive Freedom Amendment.”
Lauren Blauvelt, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, provided the following statement:
“Arbitrary laws that create barriers to abortion care and threaten patient privacy come from out of touch politicians who have abused democracy, and Ohioans have had enough. We are encouraged that the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment has, for a fourth time, ended a law that stigmatized people seeking abortions. The majority of Ohioans voted to protect democracy and reproductive freedom, and we will continue to work together to make sure the remaining dozens of abortion restrictions are put to an end.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Fanon Rucker of The Cochran Firm filed this lawsuit on behalf of Preterm-Cleveland, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Women’s Med Group Professional Corporation, Northeast Ohio Women’s Center, and Dr. Sharon Liner.
