Judge blocks Ohio abortion ban

COLUMBUS — A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Ohio law that would have banned a common secondtrimester abortion method.

On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Barrett granted a temporary restraining order to stop a ban on dilation and evacuation, the most common procedure for secondtrimester abortions, which was set to take effect Friday. The law would have effectively banned most abortions after about 12 weeks gestation.

Barrett did not say whether banning the procedure was unconstitutional. His order will last 14 days.

Barrett, in the decision, said abortion provider Planned Parenthood had raised factual and legal issues that warrant further investigation

In a dilation and evacuation abortion, a woman’s cervix is dilated then surgical instruments, such as forceps, are used to remove the fetus and uterine lining. In 2017, the method was used in 3,441 abortions — nearly one of every six performed in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s report.

Under the new law, physicians who perform the procedure would face a fourthdegree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison. The law has no exception for rape or incest but does allow abortions to save a woman’s life.

Ohio lawmakers voted to ban the practice, which antiabortion advocates describe as “barbaric,” in December. Former Gov. John Kasich signed the bill while vetoing another abortion ban — one that would have penalized doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.