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topicnews · August 27, 2024

Planned Parenthood will gradually introduce same-day abortion services

Planned Parenthood will gradually introduce same-day abortion services

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Planned Parenthood will gradually introduce same-day abortion services in Ohio after a Franklin County judge temporarily lifted the state’s mandatory 24-hour waiting period.

Although same-day abortion services won’t begin immediately, Dr. Bhavik Kumar, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, said Tuesday that the nonprofit is working “on a case-by-case, person-by-person basis.” Clinics must first take care of patients already scheduled and work out the logistics of care, but same-day services are expected to begin in “a couple of weeks,” he said.

“In Ohio, we had these really medically unnecessary rules and regulations that made it very difficult for us to provide care, but also made it difficult for people to access that care,” Kumar said. “By removing these regulations that we know are a huge burden for our patients, it will make providing care and accessing care much easier and safer and less burdensome for people, and that’s exactly what we want for our patients.”

Court’s interim injunction provisional, but clinics want to continue

In November 2023, Ohioans approved an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing access to abortion and other reproductive rights, but some provisions, such as the mandatory 24-hour waiting period after a patient’s first appointment, remained.

Lawyers filed suit to block the guidelines, which require doctors to provide their patients with government-approved information, among other things. Lawyers say the information goes beyond informed consent and can be stigmatizing and misleading. Kumar often described the content as “medically inaccurate.”

More: Ohio’s 24-hour abortion waiting period law is put on hold

Last week, Judge David Young of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the 24-hour waiting period and other provisions. In his ruling, he wrote that the language in the amendment approved by Ohio voters in November was clear and unambiguous. “A person’s right to reproductive freedom is now enshrined in the Ohio Constitution,” Young wrote, and the 24-hour waiting period runs counter to that.

However, Young’s decision is not final. The mandate is merely suspended while the case is heard in court.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office says the waiting period is to ensure that patients are fully informed and that the information approved by the state is not misleading. However, the office said it will appeal the decision.

Despite this uncertainty, it is important that clinics offer these services, “even if it is only for today, this week or a month,” Kumar said.

“The government has been heavy-handed and has told us what we can and cannot do,” Kumar said. “It robs us as providers of our autonomy to provide medical and evidence-based care to patients. And it robs patients of the opportunity to do what’s best for them, instead of giving them the choice of whether they’re ready that day or need more time.”

Samantha Hendrickson is The Dispatch’s medical and health reporter. Reach her at [email protected]

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