Ohio
Ohio judge strikes down 6-week abortion ban
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s six-week abortion ban has been ruled unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. In a decision issued on Thursday afternoon, Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins struck down the ban, one without exceptions for rape or incest.
The ruling comes after voters chose to legalize and protect access to reproductive rights in November 2023.
Abortion rights supporters rejoice after Issue 1 passes.
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“Ohio voters have spoken,” Jenkins wrote. “The Ohio Constitution now unequivocally protects the right to abortion.”
Issue 1 passed in Nov. 2023 57-43%, enshrining reproductive rights into the state constitution. It says Ohioans have the right to make their own decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing pregnancy. The state is prohibited from interfering with or penalizing someone for exercising this right.
“In November, Ohioans unequivocally rejected politicians’ attempts to ban abortion, and today’s ruling is a step in the right direction to protect the right for all people in our state to make decisions over their own personal medical decisions,” said Erica Wilson-Domer, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. “We are heartened that the six-week ban that previously left so many patients in Ohio without options to receive safe and convenient care has finally been struck down, and we look forward to continuing the work of expanding abortion access for all.”
This is the third court decision to cite Issue 1. In August, a Columbus judge blocked the state’s law requiring a 24-hour waiting period to access abortion, meaning clinics could do same-day services. In September, a Cincinnati judge’s decision allowed for clinics around Ohio to be able to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone virtually and can send it to pharmacies or directly to homes through mail-order medication services.
The fight isn’t over for abortion advocates, though.
“It’s an important ruling because it means tens of thousands of patients from the Buckeye State and surrounding communities can continue to access safe and legal abortion care,” Abortion Forward’s Kellie Copeland said. “However, we expect that our opponents will challenge this case and that it will end up before the State Supreme Court.”
The three pro-abortion rulings come from state courts, but the final say will come from the Ohio Supreme Court. This means that, essentially, abortion is on the ballot again this fall.
Ohio Supreme Court races: What’s at stake
Ohio Supreme Court races: What’s at stake
“If there isn’t a change on the State Supreme Court, it is likely that that court would overturn a ruling like this,” Copeland added.
After voters chose to protect access to abortion, advocates have been going to court to repeal dozens of restrictions. They have been successful in the lower courts so far, like repealing a block to telehealth prescriptions, but those cases will eventually all end up in the Supreme Court.
Right now, there is a 4-3 Republican majority on the court, but three races will determine the future makeup.
Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart, a Democrat, will defend her seat against Justice Joe Deters. He chose to vacate his seat to run for hers.
Democratic Justice Michael Donnely will face off against Cincinnati Republican Judge Megan Shanahan.
Cleveland Democratic Judge Lisa Forbes and Columbus Republican Judge Dan Hawkins are vying for the remaining open seat.
When it comes to issues surrounding abortion regulations, the Democrats were all endorsed by Planned Parenthood, while Ohio Right to Life supports the Republicans.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.
These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.
The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.
“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”
Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven
“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.
O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.
Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.
Out of prison, Indiana’s caviar king back on Ohio River to find fishing holes taken
David Cox, of English, Indiana, says once he began setting his nets again after a two-year prison sentence and a three-year ban on commercial fishing, all of his once-secret spots were taken.
Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?
In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.
At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.
There were warnings in 1977
But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.
Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.
But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.
So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?
The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.
There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.
In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.
Here’s where to check
Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.
Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish
The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.
Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.
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It isn’t over until it’s over. That’s the case for both the UCLA Bruins football program recruiting and for quarterback Brady Edmunds. Edmunds is currently committed to head to Ohio State but he took a visit from UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy earlier this week.
Kennedy met Edmunds on Thursday despite the fact that the quarterback has been committed to the Buckeyes since December of 2024 but could the UCLA Bruins be making a run at flipping the quarterback?
Edmunds has only had an official visit with Ohio State but could UCLA heave a heat check on the 6’5” quarterback? New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney is off to an unbelievable start to his recruiting with the Bruins and flipping a recruit of Edmunds’ caliber would be his most impressive move yet.
247 Sports has Edmunds as the No. 16 quarterback in the class, which would give UCLA a clear predecessor for Nico Iamaleava whenever the Bruins current starting quarterback decides to head to the professional level.
It’d be a full circle moment for the Bruins, as Edmunds was originally recruited to Ohio State by former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who bailed on UCLA to go run the Buckeyes offense. Ohio State is a great spot for a developing quarterback, as the Buckeyes produce tons of NFL talent, especially at the wide receiver position, which would help Edmunds put up some gaudy numbers in Columbus.
Chesney and the Bruins have geography on their side, Edmunds attends Huntington Beach High School in Southern California, which could potentially become a factor if Edmunds views UCLA as a program on the rise that’d be much closer to his friends and family than out in Ohio.
Time will tell if Kennedy’s visit will make a difference but UCLA’s recruiting has made waves in the first offseason under Chesney and the new regime.
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