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New Lawsuit Challenges Abortion Provisions In State Budget
By: Associated Press
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A new lawsuit challenges three contentious abortion-related provisions of Ohio's two-year budget on grounds that they violate a constitutional rule holding bills to a single subject.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed the litigation Wednesday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
The suit says three amendments to the operating budget passed by lawmakers in June violate the 'single subject' rule. One bans public hospitals from making transfer agreements with abortion clinics. Another requires clinics to present patients with evidence of a fetal heartbeat and other set information before performing an abortion, or face criminal penalties. A third provision funnels state money to private groups prohibited from mentioning abortion services as part of a "parenting and pregnancy" program.
Republican legislative leaders defend inclusion of the provisions.