Judge hears arguments in challenge to Ohio abortion law
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) — Attorneys fighting for and against extending a stay on Ohio’s near total ban on abortions presented providers, medical scholars and ethicists at a hearing Friday. Abortion providers represented by the ACLU of Ohio have challenged the law, which bans most abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, as a violation of state constitutional provisions guaranteeing individual liberty and equal protection. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins paused the law through Oct. 12. He next must decide whether to extend that stay while the lawsuit proceeds. The testimony he heard Friday varied little from existing arguments on both sides of the abortion debate.
