Ohio After Roe: Recent Episodes
Ideastream Public Media
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Ohio's 2019 Heartbeat Law went into effect for three months before a state constitutional challenge blocked it. The law dropped Ohio's legal limit on abortion from 22 weeks of pregnancy to about 6 weeks. "Ohio After Roe" captures the law's intended and unintended consequences, and the reactions of people on both sides of the abortion debate.
On the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Dr. David Burkons was performing abortions at his clinic in Cuyahoga Falls. By the end of the day, the state’s 2019 Heartbeat Law had taken effect, lowering Ohio’s legal abortion limit from 22 weeks of pregnancy to around six weeks. Hear what happened at the clinic that day and whether Burkons will continue to perform abortions under the law’s new limits.
Ohio’s Heartbeat Law banning abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy was welcomed by many abortion opponents. But it also created new obstacles for Heartbeat of Toledo, one of more than 100 pregnancy centers in Ohio that seek to dissuade pregnant women from getting abortions. Hear from Heartbeat of Toledo’s executive director, its clients and critics of pregnancy centers, who say they give out false or misleading information about abortion in order to achieve their goal.
Now that Roe v. Wade has fallen, Republicans, who have supermajorities in both the Ohio House and Senate, talk about passing a near-total ban. Abortion rights advocates, bruised from years of setbacks, argue over next steps. Meanwhile, observers of Ohio’s legislature say voters do not have much of a voice in the matter, even though the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Roe returned abortion regulation to the states. Polls show most Ohio voters believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time, contrary to a ban or the Heartbeat Law’s strict, six-week limit. Hear from a political scientist who says there’s a direct connection between strict abortion laws or bans and state legislative districts that have been heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans.
Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, turns 50 this month. The court’s decision last summer to overturn Roe created confusion, worry and greater resolve for Ohioans on both sides of the debate. Ideastream Public Media surveys the new landscape in “Ohio After Roe,” a one-hour audio special hosted by Amy Eddings.
Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, turns 50 this month. The court’s decision last summer to overturn Roe created confusion, worry and greater resolve for Ohioans on both sides of the debate. Ideastream Public Media surveys the new landscape in “Ohio After Roe,” a one-hour audio special hosted by Amy Eddings.
Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, turns 50 this month. The court’s decision last summer to overturn Roe created confusion, worry and greater resolve for Ohioans on both sides of the debate. Ideastream Public Media surveys the new landscape in “Ohio After Roe,” a one-hour audio special hosted by Amy Eddings.