Ohio abortion clinics say they will still offer services, despite order from state attorney general


The attorney general's office in Ohio has ordered all of the state's abortion providers stop offering the procedure, saying it falls under the category of "non-essential and elective surgery."
There are six clinics in Ohio that provide surgical abortions, and five of them have pushed back, saying that their services are not only essential, but also time-sensitive.
Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, there are shortages of personal protective equipment, like masks. The Ohio Department of Health on Wednesday said "non-essential and elective surgeries" would temporarily be suspended so health care workers dealing with COVID-19 cases would have proper gear. There was no mention of abortion, CBS News reports, but the Ohio attorney general's office mailed out letters to clinics saying they had to "immediately stop performing non-essential and elective surgical abortions."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement to CBS News, Iris Harvey of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Kersha Deibel of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region said their "top priority is ensuring that every person can continue accessing essential health care, including abortion. We know your health care can't wait. Abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure."
Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region's lawyer said the clinic is in compliance with the order, and Harvey and Deibel told CBS News they will still "continue providing essential procedures, including surgical abortion." The attorney general's office said if it is determined that the clinics violated the order, there will be legal ramifications.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Jared and Ivanka's Albanian island
Under The Radar The deal to develop Sazan has been met with widespread opposition
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia