The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the State of Ohio over the recently signed “Heartbeat Bill” (SB 23), which is set to take effect on July 10.
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The lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief was filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio Western Division. The lawsuit, filed in support of a handful of abortion clinics in the state, says abortion is a constitutional right under the Roe v. Wade ruling.
According to the lawsuit:
The Ban has only two very limited exceptions. The Ban permits abortion after cardiac activity is detected only if the abortion is necessary (1) to prevent the patient’s death, or (2) to prevent a “serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
Citizens for Community Values (CCV) issued a statement in support of the Heartbeat Bill.
This life-saving law will prohibit abortion once a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child. Preterm-Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and the Capital Care Network of Toledo will all be plaintiffs in the suit filed in the US District Court, Southern District of Ohio.
“Ohio’s abortion industry is seeking nothing more than a judicial bail-out. After failing to stop the pro-life community at the polls in November, they’re now hoping the courts will protect their deadly and dangerous industry,” said Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values.
“The bottom line is abortion is big business in America, and Heartbeat bills value unborn people over abortion profits.”
“The Heartbeat Bill is constitutional, and the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and abortion industry need to stop wasting taxpayer time and resources with these absurd lawsuits,” said Baer. “Thankfully, Ohio has the right leader for the job to defend this life-saving law all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, in Attorney General Dave Yost.”
CCV calls itself Ohio’s family policy council.
Ohio is one of six states that have passed a heartbeat bill, though none have been implemented before federal judges blocked them, CBS News said.
More than 300 pro-life measures have been introduced in state legislatures, CBS News said, citing the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Abortion Protests” by Becker1999. CC BY 2.0.
