The Quickie: Abortion Advocates File Lawsuit Against Ohio's 24-Hour Waiting Period

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Abortion advocates file against Ohio’s 24-hr waiting period, Florida Supreme Court set to decide on abortion ballot, and a state fights round up.

ABORTION ADVOCATES FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST OHIO’S 24-HOUR WAITING PERIOD: Last Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers challenging several Ohio laws that together force abortion patients to wait a minimum of 24 hours after receiving unnecessary state-mandated information in person before they can access their desired abortion care. These laws violate Ohio’s constitutional right to reproductive freedom that was enshrined by the Issue 1 victory on November 7, 2023. 

Dr. Sharon Liner, Medical Director, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said, “We see the effects of the 24-hour delay on patients every day. This medically unnecessary waiting period puts a strain on patients, some of whom must arrange for multiple-day stays to access abortion care and, by design, even prevents some people in need from accessing abortion entirely.” 

Dr. Adarsh Krishen, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, added, “This filing is just the first step toward making the will of Ohioans a reality after they overwhelmingly voted in support of Issue 1.”

Read more here.

 

FLORIDA SUPREME COURT DECISION EXPECTED TODAY FOR ABORTION BALLOT INITIATIVE: Today is the constitutional deadline for the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether citizen initiatives can appear on the November ballot, and at 4 PM, the court is expected to issue its opinion on the abortion initiative Amendment 4. Constitutional law professor Jonathan Marshfield told the Tampa Bay Times that the down-to-the-wire ruling isn’t surprising: “They know these opinions are going to have national significance… I think they want to make sure they put forward their strongest argument and the tightest opinion they can.”

Read more from the Tampa Bay Times and News Service of Florida. 

Meanwhile, at 4:30 ET, Yes on 4 (Floridians Protecting Freedom) will hold a virtual press call. RSVP here. Yes on 4 campaign director Lauren Brenzel will be joined by Dr. Cecilia Grande to share their reactions to the court’s ruling and the importance of passing the Amendment to Limit Government Interference in Abortion. 

Planned Parenthood Action Fund, 123 William Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038. Provided in-kind to Floridians Protecting Freedom.

 

STATE FIGHTS ROUND UP: Legislation targeting the transgender community continues to move in states across the country. 

• Nebraska: Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill that would divert $2 million in taxpayer money to fund anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” — fake health centers that use deceptive practices to lure vulnerable patients — through tax credits.  Politicians slipped the $2 million tax credit into a robust amendment to LB 937, an unrelated revenue committee bill.
• Kansas: Lawmakers continue to advance harmful legislation:
  • The Senate passed SB233, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, sending it to Gov. Kelly. The governor has vetoed similar legislation in the past. 
  • Lawmakers also sent HB 2749, an invasive and onerous abortion reporting bill, to the governor’s desk. The bill would force providers to ask patients why they are seeking an abortion and report their answers to the state.
  • The Senate is also set to approve a substitute for HB 2436 — a bill to create a new criminal offense of “coercion to obtain an abortion.”
• Kentucky: The Senate Health Services Committee added a perinatal palliative care provision to the maternal health bill, HB 10. The measure would require hospitals and midwives to refer patients who have nonviable pregnancies or whose fetuses have been diagnosed with fatal conditions for perinatal palliative care services. The amendment also includes “personhood” language that would define a “baby” to include “an individual organism” from the moment of fertilization. 
• Idaho: Several anti-trans bills are moving in Idaho:
  • The Senate State Affairs Committee approved HB 668, a ban on public funding for gender-affirming care, including for adults. It awaits full Senate approval and has already passed the House.
  • HB 538, a bill permitting schools and government employees to disregard individuals' chosen pronouns or names, was passed out of the House on Friday.
• Louisiana: Last week, the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure rejected a measure that would have allowed Lousianans to vote on an amendment to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. 
• Alabama: Lawmakers have introduced HB 378, a measure that makes it a felony to help a minor obtain an abortion without parental consent. Similar bills were introduced in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Oklahoma this session. HB 378 has yet to be assigned to a House committee. 
• North Dakota: At their upcoming state convention, the NDGOP is set to vote on a resolution that would criminalize pregnant people seeking abortion care, as well as those involved in providing the procedure. It also defines life as beginning at fertilization. The resolution was first approved by an NDGOP state committee last month. 
• Alaska: HB 17 / SB 27, legislation requiring insurance companies to dispense a year’s worth of birth control at a time is advancing in Alaska. It has already passed the House and is under consideration in the Senate, though a broad religious and moral exemption has been proposed as an amendment. HB 107, a fetal personhood bill that could criminalize doctors providing abortion, will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee this week.