Federal Judge Blocks Ohio heartbeat bill from taking effect

A federal judge today blocked Ohio’s “heartbeat” abortion ban from taking effect.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Barrett of Cincinnati issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday afternoon preventing the law from taking effect on July 11.

The law would have prevented physicians from performing abortions in Ohio once a fetal heartbeat could be detected, generally around six weeks of pregnancy.

Barrett wrote that the abortion providers who challenged the law were “certain to succeed on the merits” given U.S. Supreme Court precedents such as the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.