Ohio’s Heartbeat Law, which bans all abortions where a fetal heartbeat can be detected at six weeks, has gone into to effect after the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned Roe v. Wade. The Heartbeat Law effectively bans all abortions after six weeks, with only two very narrow exceptions: 1) when there is a risk of death to the mother, or 2) where there is a risk of serious bodily injury to the mother. A person who obtains an abortion in violation of the law faces a first degree misdemeanor charge, carrying up to six moths in jail; while a second or subsequent violation is a fourth degree felony, carrying up to eighteen months in state prison. Those who provide abortions in violation of the law face a fifth degree felony, carrying up to twelves months in state prison, and potentially additional sanctions by the state medical board.
What is a misdemeanor?
I recently spoke with a client, who is currently on federal supervised release, after completing his prison term for a drug offense. When I asked him how things were going, he responded that he was working and generally doing well, except that he recently had to go to...
