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Lebanon’s anti-abortion ordinance was passed in 2021. P H O T O : G AYAT R I M A L H O T R A
ACLU Sues Lebanon Over Anti-Abortion Ordinance
The law criminalizes abortion providers and those who assist people in accessing an abortion. BY M A D E L I N E F E N I N G
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he American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio (ACLU) announced it is filing a federal lawsuit against the city of Lebanon on May 10, challenging the city’s ban on abortion that was passed in 2021. The announcement comes shortly after a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court indicated a majority of the court will vote to overturn the
1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. The court is set to issue a ruling this summer. Lebanon’s anti-abortion ordinance, passed in May of last year, deputizes individuals to report cases of abortion care within city limits, making no exception for cases of rape or incest. While the city does not have an abortion provider, the law punishes those
who “aid or abet” a prohibited abortion, according to the ACLU. The law criminalizes abortion providers and those who assist people in accessing an abortion as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Assistance includes providing advice, funds, transportation and other assistance to those seeking abortion care. A provision of the ordinance also makes the possession of “abortion-inducing drugs” illegal. The lawsuit claims the ordinance’s language does not clearly define what it means to aid and abet. “The term ‘abortion-inducing drugs’ is defined to include ‘mifepristone, misoprostol, and any drug or medication that is used to terminate the life of an unborn child.’ But it is unclear whether someone who drives a patient
home from an abortion clinic with misoprostol would be considered to ‘possess’ misoprostol, and under what circumstances,” the complaint reads. The complaint also alleges the term “abortion doula services” is used without a detailed definition in the ordinance, making it difficult to know what conduct is prohibited in the city. “Not all abortion doulas provide the same services or provide them in the same way,” the complaint reads. While Lebanon is the only city in the state to have an anti-abortion ordinance (self-described as a “sanctuary city for the unborn”), Ohio is likely to ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. An attorney with the ACLU of Ohio said the language in Lebanon’s ban makes it illegal in several ways, including violating due process and freedom of speech.
MAY 18, 2022 - MAY 31, 2022 |
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