Ohio attorney general to appeal court's block of abortion ban

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office on Wednesday said the attorney general will appeal a recent court order that struck down the state's abortion ban, which banned the procedure once cardiac activity is detected.

An Ohio county judge ruled last month that the state's abortion ban is now unconstitutional because voters passed an amendment to the state constitution last year that protects the right to reproductive healthcare. The state's previous abortion law was passed in 2019.

Yost filed a notice of appeal with the court on Friday, according to the Associated Press. His office claimed there are provisions between the state law and the voter-approved amendment that still need to be fixed.

“It is up to the courts to determine how conflicts between those two documents are resolved,” Bethany McCorkle, a spokesperson for Yost, said.

The attorney general has acknowledged that the procedure itself is now unconstitutional because of the amendment, but wanted to keep other parts of the state law related to notifications of the abortion and reporting guidelines. But the judge said last month that the provisions would subject healthcare professionals to possible criminal charges and fines.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.