BREAKING: Telemedicine Abortion Ban Passed in Ohio Senate

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 
Contact: Aileen Day [email protected] |  614-313-2057

Telemedicine Abortion Ban Passed in Ohio Senate

Columbus, Ohio – Today, members of the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 260 with 20 yeas nine nays. This bill would ban abortions performed with the use of telemedicine. Telemedicine is a safe way to expand access to people who may live far away from a surgical abortion health center. The bill would cut off access to safe, legal abortion for patients who currently have a hard time accessing a health care provider.

Planned Parenthood in Ohio has been using telemedicine to safely provide medication abortions for almost two years. In the last year, there have been 10 abortion bans introduced. As these bans chip away at the ability of people to access abortions, telemedicine has become even more vital, expanding access to people most affected by these nonstop bans.

Telemedicine abortions follow strict Ohio law. A patient first visits a surgical abortion health center to be examined by a doctor in person, and then attends their next appointment at a health center closer to home and via video to take the first abortion pill. This method enables more patients to access safe, legal abortion.

Statement from Lauren Blauvelt-Copelin, Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Advocacy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio:

“The goal of Senate Bill 260 is not better health care for Ohioans or patient safety, its sole purpose is to push access to safe, legal abortion further out of reach and against the will of the majority of Ohioans. Studies have shown that eight in 10 Americans agree that abortion should be safe, legal, and accessible. People should be able to access safe, quality abortion no matter who they are or where they live. Ohio legislators should not be in the business of taking away health care from its citizens, and instead, focus on expanding access to reproductive health care.”

Abortion bans are never going to end abortion. These bans will end the ability for people to access safe, legal abortion. These bans are meant to restrict access equally, but that is not what ends up happening because different communities are impacted disproportionately. Making abortion more difficult to access disproportionately impacts young people, people of color, people with low incomes, people in rural communities, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Senate Bill 260 is now waiting to be assigned a committee in the House. This bill is unconstitutional, and a similar bill has been declared unconstitutional by the Iowa Supreme Court in 2015, citing a lack of medical support.

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio supports advocacy for reproductive health and reproductive rights, including grassroots organizing, community education, and lobbying. www.ppao.org