GUEST POST: The Ohio Heartbeat Bill is on pause in the state of Ohio due to Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati launching a lawsuit in the appellate court. Judge Christian Jenkins ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction against the ban and filed a temporary restraining order, allowing  Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati to remain open and perform abortions up until 22-weeks (well after the point when a preborn child can feel pain.) Currently, Ohio Attorney General David Yost is attempting to repeal the block placed on the 6-week limit law by the Hamilton County Judge.   

We can clearly tell that laws matter as what was once seen as a solid pro-life win for the state of Ohio, the Ohio Heartbeat Bill, is currently being contested in the courts. For anyone who tells you that elections don’t matter or that laws hold no weight when it comes to the outcome of abortion, they’re sadly mistaken. 

As an example, SFLA Ohio Regional Coordinator Jamie Scherdin told a haunting tale on how Pregnancy Center West (PCW), a local pregnancy resource center that Scherdin has been working with, has seen the impact that the pause of the Heartbeat Law has had in Ohio. Two weeks ago, the center saw a mom who was abortion-minded but was unsure if her baby had a heartbeat (at the time, abortion after a heartbeat was illegal in the state.). At PCW, they performed an ultrasound and not only did they find a heartbeat, they found three! 

The mom was pregnant with triplets and past the point of a legal abortion within the state. She scheduled a follow up appointment to come back to the center for support. Unfortunately, after the Heartbeat Law was paused, that same mom called the center to cancel her appointment because she had aborted her triplets since it was once again legally accessible in Ohio. Scherdin expressed,  

“This is exactly why laws matter, and we must protect life in law. This might not have been the case had one singular judge not paused this life saving law.”  

With the Ohio Heartbeat Bill being contested, the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities (AFC) and our partner Sidewalk Advocates for Life hosted a giant sidewalk counseling training in Cincinnati at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Liberty Township (one of our church partners.). The event was full with 80 attendees from the community and several different universities. The purpose was to bring together the community and to learn world-class training to save lives on the sidewalk.  Sidewalk counseling is an important part of our AFC campaign and being formally trained is very beneficial in getting those in the community involved.  

If the Cincinnati Planned Parenthood is able to stay open, we will embolden the community with more sidewalk counseling. Through our partnership with Sidewalk Advocates for Life, we will equip our community members to stand in compassion and service outside of this facility. We will continue to draw business away from this dangerous facility and truly aid women and families in Cincinnati.   

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