Cincinnati, Ohio - Ohio's six-week abortion ban has been permanently blocked as unconstitutional by a state court!

Thursday's permanent injunction came almost one year after Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

"Ohio voters have spoken. The Ohio constitution now unequivocally protects the right to abortion," Judge Christian Jenkins of the Hamilton County Court of Pleas wrote in his ruling.

"Unlike the Attorney General, this Court will uphold the Ohio Constitution’s protection of abortion rights," he continued. "The will of the people of Ohio will be given effect."

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Ohio's six-week abortion ban took effect in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. The "heartbeat" law included no exceptions for rape or incest.

In September 2022, a judge blocked enforcement of the ban, and the following November, Ohio voters effectively nullified it with a successful ballot measure.

But the state's Republican Attorney General Dave Yost argued that other provisions of the law could still be enforced despite the vote – including requiring doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion and forcing pregnant people to wait 24 hours before receiving abortion care.

Jenkins disagreed, delivering a major win to abortion rights advocates and the people of Ohio.

Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, celebrated the decision in a statement, saying, "This win means that tens of thousands of patients from the Buckeye State and surrounding communities can continue to access safe and legal abortion care from providers at nine clinics in Ohio."

"The overwhelming decision by voters to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution last November has paved the way for successful court challenges like the one we’ve won today," she added.