Ohio

Ohio Republicans want 24-hour abortion waiting period despite judge’s injunction

Published

6 months ago

June 10, 2025

Press Room

Ohio Republicans want 24-hour abortion waiting period despite judge’s injunction

The proposal, called the “She Wins Act,” comes after a judge blocked Ohio’s previous 24-hour waiting period law.
Abortion rights advocates oppose the bill, arguing it violates the 2023 amendment guaranteeing reproductive rights and a judge’s ruling.
The bill’s sponsors claim it aims to ensure patients have adequate information, not to circumvent the court’s decision.

Ohio Republicans want to reinstate a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, despite a judge’s order blocking it.

The proposal from Reps. Mike Odioso, R-Green Twp., and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Twp., would require doctors to provide patients seeking an abortion with information about the “physical and psychological risks” at least 24 hours before an abortion pill or procedure.

Patients would receive information about abortion risks and reviews of the physician providing it, Williams said. Patients could sue if they don’t receive this information in person, via phone, email or other means, according to a news release. Lawmakers are calling the bill the “She Wins Act.”

Abortion rights advocates say the proposal is at odds with a judge’s decision that blocked Ohio’s longtime 24-hour waiting period. The preliminary injunction came after Ohio voters approved a reproductive rights amendment in 2023.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Young cited the 2023 amendment in his ruling, which allowed providers to offer same-day abortions. In many cases, the waiting period extended beyond one day because of transportation challenges or other issues.

Williams said he isn’t trying to undermine that decision.

“This is not an attempt to go around the court or even put our thumb on the scale,” Williams told the statehouse bureau. “This is an effort to make sure the patient is given adequate information to make a life-changing decision.”

But Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland isn’t convinced.

“This whole proposal is bizarre,” Copeland said. “Ohio had a medically unnecessary 24-hour waiting period before the passage of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment. It has been ruled unconstitutional by the courts and blocked from enforcement. Politicians like Reps. Josh Williams and Mike Odioso clearly do not care about the law or what is best for patients.”

The bill is in the early stages and hasn’t yet been assigned to a House committee for review.

State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@gannett.com or @jbalmert on X.

What do you think?

Source link

Click to comment

Ohio

After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

Published

6 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

A mom searching for answers about her son’s death in a car wreck won a victory on Dec. 19 when the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Richland County Sheriff to release records to her.

The court ruled in a unanimous decision that Andrea Mauk is entitled to three sets of records withheld by the sheriff, with only Social Security numbers being redacted. Mauk will be awarded $2,000 in damages but will not receive attorney fees.

On June 23, 2023, 18-year-old Damon Mauk lost control of his 1998 Ford Mustang and slammed it into a tree. His mother wanted to piece together what happened, collect his belongings and grieve the loss of her child. She didn’t think she’d have to fight for public records and take her case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Following the crash, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies, a township fire department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded.

During the investigation, a trooper told a deputy to leave Damon’s iPhone and wallet in the car, according to Mauk’s court filings. Instead, the deputy took the belongings to the hospital and handed them off to someone who said he was Damon’s dad.

Mauk didn’t understand. Damon’s father was largely absent from his life. How could he have been there to pick up the wallet and phone?

A few weeks after the fatal crash, Mauk asked for records, including: the sheriff’s report and inventory of items taken from the car, body camera footage from deputies who gave away the belongings, the report, photos and videos created by the patrol and more.

Mauk, of the Mansfield area, received some but not all of the requested records. Mauk hired attorney Brian Bardwell to pursue records she believes exist but weren’t provided or were improperly redacted.

The sheriff’s office claimed that some of the requested records were exempt from disclosure because they are confidential law enforcement records or personal notes. The court privately reviewed the records withheld from Mauk and determined that they should be released.

The decision in favor of releasing records runs contrary to recent rulings from the high court.

In 2024, the court held that the cost of sending troopers to protect Gov. Mike DeWine at a Super Bowl game weren’t subject to disclosure and that the Ohio Department of Health should redact from a database the names and addresses of Ohioans who had died, even though that death certificate information can be released on an individual case basis.

In 2025 the court ruled that police officers’ names may be kept confidential if they’re attacked on the job, giving them privacy rights afforded to crime victims.

State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.

Source link

Ohio

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

18 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

Source link

Ohio

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, .25 million in rebate settlement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.

The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.

The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:

Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.

The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.

In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.

Source link