Since voters approved Ohio's Reproductive Rights Amendment in 2023, opponents of abortion, and Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, have been waging court challenges to keep certain laws involving abortion on the books.
Anti-abortion advocates are now challenging a website launched this week that could end up in court as well.
Ohio Right to Life has filed a complaint with the state Department of Health and the State Medical Board over a website that it says is violating state law. The website HeyJane.com, which launched in Ohio this week, allows a patient seeking an abortion to consult with a doctor via telehealth and get abortion pills sent to them. And Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said that’s not allowed under state law.
“State law clearly states that a physician needs to be involved and present when an abortion is performed or abortion – inducing drugs are prescribed," Gonidakis said.
Supporters of the new reproductive rights amendment that voters passed in 2023 have claimed it would prohibit any action that would limit access to abortion services. Abortion Forward executive director Kellie Copeland calls this a "political stunt" by Gonidakis.
"He is lodging wild accusations without any evidence to back it up. He's ignoring court orders blocking the telemedicine ban that were issued back in 2021. He's also ignoring the Reproductive Freedom Amendment that passed overwhelmingly in 2023," Copeland said.
Copeland said Ohioans who voted for the amendment wanted to protect abortion health care like this.
“That’s just false because at the end of the day voters approved it, and the language in there did not give a blanket immunity and a destruction of every pro-life law that has been passed," Gonidakis said.
Gonidakis said he thinks his organization will be "proven right by the Ohio Supreme Court."
In a written statement, Kiki Freedman, co-founder and CEO of HeyJane, said Ohio Right to Life's complaint is an attempt to misinform and mislead Ohioans. She said doctors work with patients during the process and adds the drugs prescribed are safe, effective, and have been FDA-approved for telemedicine.
"It is deeply important to HeyJane that Ohioans have access to accurate, factual information that allows them to make informed decisions about accessing high-quality and safe abortion care," Freedman said.
The Ohio Department of Health said in a written statement that it will promptly and thoroughly review the complaint and take action where appropriate. However, the department said, "After an initial review, it appears at least some elements of the complaint may fall outside the department’s regulatory authority, in which case the department will share the complaint with the appropriate agency.”
Several abortion-related laws are being challenged in court as no longer constitutional under the 2023 amendment, and most are expected to go to the Ohio Supreme Court. They include the ban on telemedicine to prescribe abortion drugs, the 24-hour waiting period, the requirement of burial or cremation of fetal remains from abortion and the six-week abortion ban.
