Antiabortion lawyers challenge Ohio ballot initiative
Advocates contend that pro-choice activists didn't legally follow process
After a series of defeats, the antiabortion movement filed a challenge to the Ohio ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution if passed in November.
Lawyer Curt Hartman filed the lawsuit with the Ohio Supreme Court on Friday. It contended that the initiative petition didn’t follow a constitutional process and didn’t comply with all the law requirements. Hartman also argued that it shouldn’t repeal The Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act, which was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine in 2019 that bans abortions after cardiac activity goes into effect.
The law became constitutional after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But an Ohio judge issued an injunction on the law until legal challenges over it are resolved.