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Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, et al. v. Ohio Department of Health, et al.

Location: Ohio
Status: Ongoing
Last Update: April 20, 2023

What's at Stake

In December 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill 27, a fetal tissue disposal requirement that mandates burial or cremation of all embryonic and fetal tissue from a procedural abortion, imposing severe burdens on patients and stigmatizing essential care. On January 31, 2022, an Ohio judge preliminarily enjoined the law, finding that the law likely violates the Ohio state constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection. The victory follows a previous April 5, 2021 preliminary injunction halting enforcement of the law, because compliance would have been impossible due to the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) failure to establish necessary rules and regulations. The law is currently blocked from taking effect, and the case is stayed pending ongoing litigation over Ohio’s 6-week abortion ban.

This lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Fanon A. Rucker on behalf of Ohio abortion providers.

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