Ohio

Ohioans approved abortion rights. But most restrictions remain on the books

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2024

Ohioans approved abortion rights. But most restrictions remain on the books

While Ohio’s GOP-controlled Legislature hasn’t passed any abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, lawmakers aren’t willing to roll back newly unconstitutional laws

Ohioans now have the constitutional right to abortion − a monumental shift in how the state has handled reproductive rights.

But for the average patient entering an Ohio abortion clinic, nothing has changed.

Ohio abortion providers aren’t performing abortions after 22 weeks. Patients must wait 24 hours after their first visit to obtain the pills or have a procedure. A dispute over using telemedicine is playing out in court.

“We did not get to the severe abortion restrictions that we have in Ohio overnight,” said Dr. Adarsh Krishen, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. “We’re not going to get out of that situation − even with the passage of Issue 1 − overnight. It’s going to take time and energy to be able to lift those restrictions.”

Most of that time and energy is spent in court.

Attorneys representing Ohio’s abortion clinics have sued to permanently block a ban on most abortions. The law, which has been on hold since September 2022, prohibits doctors from performing abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which is about six weeks into pregnancy.

Attorneys for the clinics say this law is indisputably unconstitutional, but Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says some parts might not be. Yost campaigned against the abortion rights measure on the ballot last year and is a likely 2026 contender for governor.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins, who is reviewing the case, will decide the law’s fate by May 20, according to court filings.

That’s just one law. The state has other bans, regulations and hurdles that abortion providers say violate what voters approved with nearly 57% of the vote last November. Attorneys for Ohio’s abortion providers aren’t disclosing their legal strategy to dismantle those laws, but any approach will take time.

Even though those legal challenges take time, the new constitutional language has been “an absolute game-changer,” said attorney Jessie Hill who is challenging Ohio’s abortion restrictions. “Just because the changes haven’t been obvious yet, it’s still a really big deal.”

What hasn’t changed

While Ohio’s GOP-controlled Legislature hasn’t passed any abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Republican lawmakers aren’t willing to roll back newly unconstitutional laws either.

Democratic lawmakers introduced bills to repeal various abortion bans and restrictions, but those proposals have gone nowhere.

Some Republican lawmakers have proposed stripping judges of the power to enforce the new abortion rights amendment, but House Speaker Jason Stephens said that idea wouldn’t pass. “This is Schoolhouse Rock-type stuff. We need to make sure that we have the three branches of the government,” he added.

No comprehensive data exist on whether abortions have increased or decreased in Ohio since Issue 1 passed. The Ohio Department of Health’s report on 2023 won’t be released until the fall. Recently released numbers from #WeCount, a national reporting effort sponsored by the Society of Family Planning, don’t yet capture the months after the November vote.

Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region has seen an increase in appointments from out-of-state patients since Issue 1 passed. For example, 51% of patients seeking an abortion in January traveled from other states, interim president Suzanne Bertuleit said.

“Despite this influx of patients, Issue 1’s passage did not immediately eliminate Ohio’s current restrictions on abortion access,” Bertuleit said. “We continue to explore all our options to challenge other state restrictions with this constitutional protection in the coming months.”

Asked about the impact of Issue 1, Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said: “We are unaware of any impact to date of the November 2023 ballot initiative.”

Still, “the struggle to protect human life though is far from over here in Ohio,” the organization’s executive director Peter Range said. “Ohio Right to Life will continue to advocate for the preborn and will not stop working for a culture where every life gets a chance to succeed, including moms, dads and their babies.”

What has changed

While much looks the same, Krishen with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio said the constitutional amendment is already making a difference. He has seen an increase in doctors willing to work and train in Ohio because of Issue 1.

And the new protections provide a reprieve from the onslaught of new regulations and the lack of job security. “From a staff perspective, there been sort of a sigh of relief,” Krishen said.

To pass the constitutional amendment, abortion rights advocates built a roster of donors and engaged activists, said Kellie Copeland, executive director of Pro-Choice Ohio. “We’re in a much different position than we were even two years ago.”

Advocates hope to deploy those resources to protect LGBTQ rights at the statehouse and elect Democratic judges to the Ohio Supreme Court that will oversee abortion challenges. They also support redistricting reform, which could make it easier to enact abortion protections in the state Legislature.

Outside of Ohio, there is a looming fight over a national abortion ban. Former President Donald Trump supports a 16-week ban with exceptions, the New York Times reported in February. President Joe Biden has said he’s “not big on abortion” but believes the Roe v. Wade court decision “got it right,” according to the Associated Press.

A national abortion ban would undo all of the work Ohioans did to pass Issue 1, Copeland said. “We can’t allow that to happen.”

On Wednesday, a nationwide group of doctors, including those who backed Ohio’s reproductive rights amendment, formed Healthcare Workers for Reproductive Freedom to safeguard in vitro fertilization after an Alabama Supreme Court decision threatened it there. The state’s Republican governor recently signed IVF protections in response to that ruling, the Associated Press reported.

Even though Ohio voters passed constitutional protections, the battle over reproductive rights is far from over in Ohio and elsewhere, Copeland said. “It’s one thing to amend the constitution. It’s another thing to make it real.”

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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Ohio

Ohio State stud Carnell Tate might be the ideal ‘game-changer’ that Giants need

Published

10 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Ohio State stud Carnell Tate might be the ideal ‘game-changer’ that Giants need

INDIANAPOLIS — There are so many questions an NFL team can pose to a top prospect and so many of them have to do with how he will handle the step up to the next level.

And how will he deal with waiting his turn?

These questions do not really apply to Carnell Tate.

Not after the gauntlet he had to pass through in college, trying to find his way and making incremental rises on a depth chart overflowing with talent at his position.

“The competition there, we’re all pushing to be the best receiver on the field that day and that practice,’’ Tate said Friday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine, “and typically, when you’re the best receiver at Ohio State, you’re the best receiver in the country.’’

True, that.

Tate figures to be in play for the Giants with the No. 5 pick in the NFL Draft.

He is widely considered the top receiver in this class — there are certainly Jordyn Tyson supporters out there — and where the Giants prioritize aiding their offense with bolstering their defense will go a long way in determining if they select a wide receiver with their top pick for the second time in three years.

Where they are situated, one or both Ohio State studs, safety Caleb Downs or linebacker Sonny Styles, should be on the board — another Ohio State defender, edge rusher Arvell Reese, could go to the Jets at No. 2.

The Giants unquestionably need another prime target for Jaxson Dart but, when healthy, they already have a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, who was the No. 6 overall pick in 2024.

Investing so much draft equity in another one might not be the most balanced way to build the team in John Harbaugh’s first year as the head coach.

Or, it might be just the ticket to launch the offense.

“You’re always going to want to add more explosiveness to your offense, guys that score touchdowns, wherever that comes from: running back, receiver, tight ends, whatever it may be,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said. “That will be something we’ll look for.’’

There should not be much, or any, concern that Tate will not be a supportive and obliging running mate for Nabers, who made it into only four games last season before a devastating knee injury — he tore his right ACL and meniscus — left Dart without his only lethal weapon.

Tate is not one of those youngsters accustomed to being the top guy during his college experience.

Tate arrived as a five-star recruit in 2023 but how the heck was he supposed to break into the starting lineup with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — both future first round picks — ahead of him?

In 2024, Tate was overshadowed by freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.

Tate had to wait for his opportunities and while he did, he concentrated on becoming a better all-around player, developing his ability as a blocker on the perimeter.

In three seasons, Tate totaled 121 receptions for 1,872 yards.

He notched nine of his 14 touchdowns during the 2025 season.

Tate is often likened to Chris Olave, another former Buckeyes wideout.

Olave was a 2022 first-round pick of the Saints and has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four NFL seasons.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) and Garrett Wilson (Jets) are also former Ohio State receivers tearing it up in the NFL.

“It means a lot to me and it’s also a lot on your shoulders,’’ Tate said of the legacy. “Now you got to be the next one to come out there and put on for the school and carry the Receiver U.’’

Tate lining up on one side and Nabers — who is expected to be fully recovered in the spring or by training camp — lining up on the other side would be quite a combination for Dart.

“It would be great,’’ said Tate, who this week had a formal meeting with the Giants. “It would be a great opportunity, especially playing in New York. Big showcase. I’d love to go out there and play in New York.’’

Wan’Dale Robinson, mostly a slot receiver, is an impending free agent.

If he does not return, it would drain the passing game of the 92 receptions for 1,014 yards he contributed in 2025.

Veteran Darius Slayton is coming off a poor seventh year with the Giants.

At 6-foot-3, Tate has ideal height and he is lean at 195 pounds.

He will run the 40-yard dash in Indy but otherwise wait for his Pro Day to work out for NFL executives, coaches and scouts.

Without sounding boastful, Tate does not lack confidence.

“I think my game brings it all to the table,’’ he said. “I got the contested catch, I got the route-running and I also bring it in the run game, a lot of receivers don’t do that. I’m able to impact the game with or without the ball in my hands.

“If you want a game-changer, you got one right here.’’

The best wide receiver in this draft class?

“Me, no question,’’ Tate said.

“Whatever you need to do, I got it.’’

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Ohio

Ohio woman sentenced in $775,000 Medicaid scheme

Published

22 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

COLUMBUS — A Lake County woman was sentenced this morning to jail time and ordered to pay $775,000 in restitution for fraudulently billing Medicaid, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced. “She inflated her earnings through brazen fraud, but her scheme burst wide open when our investigators got the case,” Yost said. “Cheating taxpayers comes with […]

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Ohio

‘Catastrophic’ Ohio farm fire kills 6,000 hogs and pigs, officials say

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

‘Catastrophic’ Ohio farm fire kills 6,000 hogs and pigs, officials say

A wind-swept blaze at an Ohio hog farm complex caused “catastrophic” damage and left thousands of pigs dead, fire officials said, marking another devastating barn inferno contributing to the deaths of millions of animals in recent years.

The massive fire occurred on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Fine Oak Farms in Union Township, Madison County, located west of Ohio’s capital of Columbus, according to the Central Townships Joint Fire District. Fire crews received a report of a barn fire shortly before 12 p.m. local time.

The incident was later upgraded to a commercial structure fire after Chief Brian Bennington observed a “large column of smoke visible from a distance” and requested additional resources. Multiple local fire departments, along with several other emergency agencies, were called to the scene.

“What our crews encountered upon arrival was a very difficult and heartbreaking incident,” Bennington said in a statement on Feb. 26.

The fire chief described the facility as a large farm complex used for hog production consisting of five large agricultural buildings, including four that housed about 7,500 hogs. When crews arrived at the scene, they found two of the barns engulfed in flames, Bennington said.

Crews were challenged by windy conditions that significantly impacted fire suppression efforts, according to Bennington. Three barns were destroyed in the fire, and about 6,000 hogs and pigs were killed.

Firefighters saved one barn and about 1,500 hogs, the fire chief added. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Bennington highlighted the assistance of the farming community throughout Madison and Clark counties, as multiple farmers responded with water trucks to help with water supply efforts. “Rural Ohio’s agricultural community is tight-knit, and they truly step up when one of their own is in need,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office will determine the fire’s cause and origin. Bennington said there is no suspicion of arson and no ongoing threat to the public at this time.

‘Rapidly changing fire behavior conditions’

Heavy smoke from the fire could be seen for miles, and Bennington said first-arriving units were met with fire conditions coming from the opposite side of the hog farm complex.

The fire chief noted that the incident required extensive water-shuttle operations due to rural water-supply limitations in the area. Crews attempted to cut the fire off by deploying multiple handlines and using an aerial device, but “faced extremely challenging conditions throughout the incident,” according to Bennington.

Sustained winds of about 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph accelerated the fire’s spread, Bennington said. The high winds made it “extremely difficult” to contain forward fire progression and created “rapidly changing fire behavior conditions” across the agricultural complex, he added.

After about four to five hours, the fire was contained by fire personnel from four different counties, according to the fire chief.

“Unfortunately, the fire resulted in catastrophic damage to the business,” Bennington said in an earlier statement on Feb. 25. “A significant portion of the agricultural structures were destroyed.”

Latest major fire to impact an Ohio hog farm

The incident at Fine Oak Farms is the latest major fire to cause significant damage to an Ohio hog farm in recent years.

In August 2024, about 1,100 pigs were killed in Versailles, a village about 50 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, according to data from the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute. In March 2022, about 2,000 hogs died in a barn fire at Kenneth Scholl Hog Farm in Brown Township, just west of Columbus.

Before the fire at Fine Oak Farms, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that other barn fires in Ohio this year killed 162 sheep, horses, cows, chickens, and other animals.

Hundreds of thousands of animals killed in barn fires each year

Data from the Animal Welfare Institute shows that hundreds of thousands of animals are killed in barn fires across the country each year. Since 2013, over 9 million farm animals have been killed in barn fires, according to the organization.

As of Feb. 26, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that 118,738 farm animals have died in U.S. barn fires this year, including the incident at Fine Oak Farms. The majority of farm animals killed were chickens in separate incidents in North Carolina and Georgia in January, and another incident in Missouri earlier this month.

“Most fatal barn fires occurred in colder states, particularly the Upper Midwest and the Northeast. New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois had the highest number of barn fires, respectively,” according to the organization. “The amount of cold weather a state experienced appeared to be a greater factor in the prevalence of barn fires than the intensity of a state’s animal agriculture production.”

In an updated report on farm animal deaths due to barn fires in 2025, the Animal Welfare Institute said more than 2.53 million farm animals were killed in barn fires from 2022 to 2024. The organization noted that the high death toll was “driven primarily” by fires at large operations that housed several thousand to over 1 million farm animals.

The majority of deaths in these incidents during that period, over 98%, were farmed birds, such as chickens and turkeys, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. But in 2023, a massive fire at a west Texas dairy farm became the single deadliest event involving livestock in the state’s history and the deadliest cattle fire in America in at least a decade.

18,000 head of cattle perished in the fire at the South Fork Dairy farm near Dimmitt, Texas. At the time, Roger Malone, who is the former mayor of Dimmitt, called the incident “mind-boggling.”

“I don’t think it’s ever happened before around here. It’s a real tragedy,” Malone said.

Contributing: Rick Jervis, USA TODAY; Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch

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