CV NEWS FEED // The number of abortions performed in Ohio rose by almost 4,000 between 2022 and 2023 due to the removal of the state’s heartbeat law, according to new data released by the Ohio Department of Health.
The Catholic Times, the Diocese of Columbus’ newspaper, reported that abortions also rose in 2023 due to the doubling of out-of-state women traveling to get abortions in Ohio. The number of minors having abortions almost doubled, while data shows that black women continued to make up a significant amount of the women seeking abortions at roughly 44%.
According to the Catholic Times, the data revealed 79 “botched” chemical abortions as well as various complications and issues following surgical abortions, including “lacerations, hemorrhages, hematometras, infections, and more.”
The news outlet reported that abortions are likely to continue to rise in Ohio, noting that many of Ohio’s laws regarding abortion pills and their distribution have been affected by a recent preliminary injunction.
“This not only opened the doors to advanced practitioners like physician assistants and nurses being permitted to provide the abortion pill, but it may also result in them being pressured or forced to,” the Catholic Times reported. “It certainly will allow retail pharmacies, like CVS and Walgreens, which are distributing the abortion pill in other states but had deferred to Ohio law, to start stocking them.”
Another law regarding informed consent and the waiting period to have an abortion has been handicapped by a restraining order, while the American Civil Liberties Union is attacking a law that exempts taxpayers from paying for “most induced abortions through state employee healthcare or Medicaid.”
“Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has pledged to appeal these decisions,” the Catholic Times reported, “but ultimately these intentionally vague and broad terms will be decided by the Ohio Supreme Court, the makeup of which will be hotly contested this November.”